"Should I Buy an Apple Watch for My Child?"

An interesting article by Ben Woods over at The Next Web on what he believes are the pros and cons of buying a child an Apple Watch. On reason is regards to health:

One of the clear advantages of the Apple Watch for adults is the tracking of activity – sure, there are plenty of other trackers out there too, but (just like cameras) the best activity tracker you have is the one you have on you. With the Apple Watch, it’s always on you.

The World Health Organization has identified childhood obesity as “one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century” and increasing at “an alarming rate”.

Child obesity is increasingly becoming a problem, but the Watch itself is not going to change that. Lack of exercise is certainly one component of obesity, but the main reason is due to poor diet. Still, that doesn’t mean that the Watch couldn’t be the gateway to a healthier lifestyle. I’ve certainly found that to be the case.

Onto the cons:

Kids are fickle. They get bored easily, and allegiances change – and the Apple Watch is not cheap. They might want the Apple Watch now because all their friends have one, but are you going to get them the new model when that’s released in a year or two? Technology companies don’t tend to just stop releasing new models of popular and highly-profitable hardware.

The price and the design of Apple Watch is not what I would call “child friendly.” It’s certainly great for those in their late teens, but once you start dipping into low teens or younger, I’m not sure the Apple Watch is best for them. That’s why I wonder if Apple will venture into making some smaller, plastic versions or something in a few years. Like the iPod, it started out at a higher tier and then moved its way down. Within a few years, the Nano or Shuffle became the first iPod you gave you child.

It will be interesting to see how that changes in the coming years.