Is a cellular Apple Watch worth it for a kid?

Our experience: the mistake to avoid

Before our son Ben got an iPhone at 12, we tried an Apple Watch so we could see his location. We bought the model without cellular, and that was the mistake. A GPS-only watch can’t be set up for a kid through Apple’s Family Setup, so the location feature we bought it for never worked.

Looking back, a cellular Apple Watch is a great fit for younger kids. They get a way to reach you and you can see where they are, without handing them a phone.

What a kid can do with one

With Family Setup, you manage your kid’s watch from your own iPhone, and your kid doesn’t need a phone. Apple says the watch gets its own phone number, and your kid gets their own Apple Account. They can:

• Call and text the contacts you approve, including by voice. You can block everyone else.
• Share their location in Find My, and you can get notified when they arrive at or leave a place, like school.
• Call for help with Emergency SOS
• Use Schooltime, which locks the watch down during school hours. Emergency calls still go through, and a yellow circle on the screen shows teachers it’s on.
• Pay with Apple Cash, which you control through Apple Cash Family
• Download apps only with your OK through Ask to Buy
• Use Siri, and track activity in move minutes instead of calories

Do they need a cellular plan? You can set the watch up without one, but calls, texts and location away from home Wi-Fi need an active plan. That’s the point of the watch, so plan on it.

What it doesn’t do

Some Apple Watch features aren’t available on a kid’s watch: Fall Detection (18+ only), ECG, sleep tracking, blood oxygen, Apple Pay with credit cards, and international roaming. None of those matter much for a 7-year-old.

What you need

• A GPS + Cellular Apple Watch. Apple recommends the Apple Watch SE 3. On watchOS 27, Apple’s user guide lists the SE 3 or Series 9 and later, so an older hand-me-down watch may not work.
• A parent’s iPhone 11 or later. One parent’s iPhone manages the watch, and needs to be nearby to change settings.
• Family Sharing with two-factor authentication turned on
• A carrier that supports it. Apple lists AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Cricket, Boost, Xfinity and others.

What it costs

Item	Cost
Apple Watch SE 3, GPS + Cellular	$299 (40mm) or $329 (44mm)
Carrier plan	About $10/month at Verizon; check your carrier
AppleCare+ (optional, worth it for kids)	$29.99/year

Prices are from Apple and Verizon, checked October 17, 2026. Carriers usually add an activation fee. Expect roughly $450–575 for the first year, depending on your carrier and whether you add AppleCare+, and about $120–175 a year after that.

Practical tips

• Pick the 40mm size for small wrists, and a soft band like the Sport Loop. Measure your kid’s wrist first.
• Charge it every night. Apple rates the battery at up to 18 hours.
• Check the school’s rules. Schooltime helps, but your school’s device policy still applies.
• Turn on Find My. It finds a lost watch, and AppleCare+ theft and loss coverage requires it.

Apple Watch vs kid watches

Kid watches from Gabb, Bark and Pinwheel also do calls, texts and location, and they work with Android families. Service runs $12.99–17.99 a month for Gabb and $14.99 for Pinwheel, and Bark’s is $15 a month plus $12 a month for the watch. If your family is already on iPhone, the Apple Watch fits in more naturally and does more. If not, a kid watch is the way to go.

Our verdict

Get it, as long as it’s the cellular model. For a younger kid in an iPhone family, a cellular Apple Watch with Family Setup does what most parents need from a first device: calls and texts with family, live location, and an SOS button, without the distractions of a phone. When they’re older and ready for more, see Before you get your kid a first phone.