The 2 Best Smartwatches for Kids of 2025

Best for: kids ages 8 to 12

Carrier: Verizon (though you don’t need to be a Verizon cellphone customer to get a plan)

Communication: voice and limited texting

Location tracking: yes

Monthly service fee: $10 per month

The Verizon Gizmo Watch 3 – Adventure is a kids smartwatch that can make phone calls and send audio and text messages — with limits. We prefer the newer Adventure over the Gizmo Watch 3, our previous pick in this guide, because we like that the Adventure does not have a camera.

It operates much like an adult smartwatch does. The Gizmo Watch 3 – Adventure has an intuitive touchscreen that kids swipe to access contacts, games, and other features.

Kids can communicate in a variety of ways. A speaker on the watch allows your child to talk to you or record a voice message for you (they can also turn the audio message into robot, squirrel, and other silly voices). When we used it, our calls were clear — and, of course, not private. Kids can also send emojis or one of 30 preset messages, such as “When are you picking me up?” or “I don’t feel well.” In addition, kids can type out a custom message on a small keyboard. Most recently, Gizmo introduced speech-to-text, which allows kids to dictate a custom message and have it transcribed and sent as a text message.

It pairs with the easy-to-navigate GizmoHub smartphone app (iOS and Android). The app allows you to designate up to 20 people who can communicate with your child. If someone calls the watch, and it’s not a designated phone number, the call is dropped and does not connect.

Through the app, you can also send emojis and texts up to 120 characters long. Note, however, that even though the Gizmo Watch 3 – Adventure comes with a phone number, you cannot text it directly from your phone; you or a designated contact can text only through the GizmoHub app (you can call directly from your phone). That means if you want a grandparent, sitter, or anyone else to be able to text message your kid, they will each need to download the app.

You can track the watch’s location on a map in the GizmoHub app. You can also set up a geofencing alert to notify you when your child has left or arrived at a particular location, such as school.

With School Mode, you can block all calls, messages, games, and sounds during designated hours. The child can still make emergency calls to a designated contact by holding down the SOS button on the side of the watch. The child can also send (repeated) requests to the designated guardian for School Mode to be turned off.

The watch is enclosed in a plastic, water-resistant shell. In our test of the Gizmo Watch 3, an earlier version of the watch, it held up through multiple drops, but it did not make it through a short swim in the pool (the watch has an IP68 rating, which means it can be submerged in shallow water briefly). Some reviewers have complained that their children’s watches cracked or broke after coming into contact with water.

It comes with a few built-in games, but they’re fairly limited. Kids can also make a short voice recording and then filter it, so they can sound like they’ve sucked in helium or are growling like a monster. Another app is for making silly noises, such as fart sounds. They can’t add any other games or apps.

We prefer the Adventure version over the Gizmo Watch 3, since the Gizmo Watch 3 includes a camera. While it can be convenient to make video calls, we found the camera could be distracting. It opens up potential challenges, such as taking inappropriate photos. It can also quickly drain the battery.

Verizon offers a one-year warranty for the Gizmo Watch 3 – Adventure. Customers can also return or exchange the watch during a 30-day window after purchase (with a $50 restocking fee).

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Many customers have given the Gizmo Watch 3 – Adventure (and its predecessors) mixed (and, in some cases, dismal) reviews. However, we have found that all of the kids smartwatches we’ve tested have received similarly mixed, if not worse, reviews.

The GizmoHub app is inconvenient and limiting for texting. The app is required for text messaging; the child’s text messages do not show up with the rest of the text messages on the receiver’s phone. If a designated contact doesn’t have the GizmoHub app, they can only call (and receive calls from) the watch. And though the Gizmo Watch offers group texting, it’s limited to contacts with the app or Gizmo Buddies (other kids who also have a Gizmo Watch).

Several of the kids smartwatches we’ve tested require a dedicated smartphone app, so this inconvenience is not unique to the Gizmo Watch. But an increasing number of kids smartwatches, such as the Gabb Watch 3e, have removed this barrier. One of our testers finally gave up on the Gizmo Watch because their child was constantly left out of family group texts and important updates.

Its battery life can be shorter than expected. Although the watch is supposed to last more than three days on one charge, ours never did.

Location tracking — which uses significant battery power — can sometimes be inaccurate and slow. There can be a delay in seeing your child’s real-time whereabouts.

It’s water-resistant only to splashes. As mentioned above, ours malfunctioned after a brief dip in the pool.

It’s not appealing to older kids. The latest Gizmo is less cartoony than previous versions, but it still has bright colors, games, and sounds that make it feel childish. But at the same time, it’s a bit bulky, especially for small wrists.

We’ve had a mixed experience with Verizon. You can walk into a store for help with setup and customer support, but your experience will vary depending on how familiar the particular employee is with the watch. We also received an additional, predatory bill for the Verizon Mobile Protect service, which we had declined when we signed up for a plan but were still charged for.

Calling Verizon’s Gizmo privacy policy confusing is an understatement. It’s very short, but to fully understand it, you also have to read Verizon’s own privacy policy. Verizon can keep information “as long as reasonably necessary for business, accounting, tax or legal purposes,” but Verizon told us that it keeps Gizmo data for only 60 days. Verizon assumes that the parent is the one agreeing to the policy, and the company collects data accordingly. Aside from the data you give it, such as your name, phone number, location, and email address, Verizon collects device details and may use that data for analytics. Verizon doesn’t use data collected from the Gizmo Watch for marketing, but it’s unclear whether Verizon can use data collected in the companion smartphone app or website for interest-based ads. Common Sense Media gave the GizmoHub app low scores because it collects data that can be used by third-party advertising or tracking services, among other privacy concerns.