“I want my daughter to feel a little freedom and confidence, knowing she can reach us whenever she needs to, but I’m not ready to put a smartphone in her hands yet,” one tech-savvy father of a 10-year-old told the Herald.
He said the service would be a life-changer for parents.
“There’s just too much that comes with phones and the internet that feels bigger than a 10-year old should have to deal with. The Apple Watch lets us stay connected and gives her independence in a way that still feels safe and age‑appropriate. It gives me peace of mind, and it lets her just be a kid for a bit longer.”
The service would allow his daughter to call or text him and his wife – and they would be able to see where their daughter was if, for example, she wanted to go to the shops.
In that sense, Apple Watch for Your Kids, he says, is perfect – if only it were available in New Zealand.
“Instead, I would need to buy her an iPhone and get the phone connected to her Apple Watch to work. So around $40 per month for a phone plan, and another $7 per month for the watch to connect, even though she won’t be using the phone.
“In the US, it costs around $10 per month to add it to your own plan, and you can allocate it its own number.”
And handing a smartphone to a 10-year-old in this era is also a risk, with access to social media channels posing its own danger.
“Many children who receive phones at a young age are definitely not ready for the responsibility, and they’re exposed to countless dangers because of it,” Titania Jordan told US website Parents last year.
She is an author and the “chief parenting officer” at Bark, a company set up to protect kids online.
Many young children who receive a phone at a young age are not ready for them, says Titania Jordan.
But there appears to be some good news on the horizon.
All three major New Zealand carriers – 2degrees, One NZ and Spark – said they were across the Apple offering.
“The Apple Watch for Kids plan is a great service, and one we are working to bring to NZ,” said 2degrees head of communications Quentin Reade.
“We don’t have any timelines to share at the moment, but will let you know when we do.
“In general, telcos need to build functionality that device makers launch into their own systems and platforms.”
A One NZ spokesman also said the company was aware of the service and “the benefits it could bring for Kiwi families, especially when it comes to helping kids stay safely connected”.
“We’re in the early stages of exploring what it would take to support this service on our network, but don’t have any confirmed plans or timings to share just yet.
“As with any new product or feature, we need to carefully prioritise where we focus our efforts, but we’re always keen to back technology that helps keep young people safe and gives parents peace of mind.”
He said the service would require IT development as part of the product build. “Put simply, this is software technology that would allow the Apple product to talk to our network and systems.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook at an Apple Watch presentation. Photo / AP
A Spark spokeswoman said the company had “no immediate plans” to introduce Apple Watch for Your Kids.
She pointed out the other services the company offers, including the Spark Kids’ Plan.
“We continue to review opportunities to evolve our offering in the future.
“Parents who want their child to use a smartwatch without needing a mobile phone still have options. Spark’s Smart Plan works with popular kids’ smart watches, including the Spacetalk range.”
An Australia-based Apple spokeswoman refused to comment. The company would not answer specific questions about the service, the possibility of it coming to New Zealand, or why it wasn’t already here.
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.
