KidsOClock vs Apple Watch for Kids:
Do You Really Need to Spend $489?
It's the question more Australian parents are asking: instead of a kids smart watch, why not just put an Apple Watch on your child? Apple's Family Setup lets an Apple Watch SE work for a kid without their own iPhone, the hardware is beautiful, and it's the brand everyone knows.
So we compared the Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS + Cellular) with the KidsOClock GL50 Genius — on price, features, battery and what actually matters for a child under 12. Here's the honest answer.
The 30-Second Verdict
For kids under about 12, the GL50 is the right tool — at half the price. The Apple Watch is a brilliant adult watch with a kids' mode bolted on: no camera, no video calling, no purpose-built parental controls, and most of its health features switched off for children. For a teenager in an iPhone family — especially one who swims — it's a legitimate alternative. But $489 plus a monthly carrier plan is a lot of money for a watch that does less for your child.
Price: The Number Parents Actually Feel
KidsOClock GL50 Genius: $239.95 (RRP $299.95)
Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS + Cellular): from A$489
The Apple Watch costs more than double — before you've added the carrier plan it needs to make calls and use GPS (Telstra's Watch Plan runs about $20/month on top). Most parents simply don't want to spend that much on a device that's going to be worn to school, dropped at the playground, and outgrown in two years.
The GL50's plan, by comparison, starts at $11.95/month with no lock-in contract and the app free forever.
No Camera. No Video Calls. Ever.
This is the dealbreaker most parents don't discover until after purchase: the Apple Watch has no camera at all. Not on any model, at any price. Your child can make voice calls and send messages — but they can never show you their face.
The GL50 has a 5MP camera with video calling built in. Seeing your child at school camp, at the shops, on the walk home — for most families, that's not a nice-to-have. It's the whole point.
An Adult Watch vs a Watch Built for Kids
Apple's kids' setup is genuinely clever — but it's an adaptation, not a purpose-built product. What that means in practice:
- No dedicated kids' features. No child-friendly AI assistant, no kid-safe music, no lockable games. The GL50 includes NIO AI, Spotify Kids and games — every one individually lockable from the parent app.
- Parental controls are limited. KidsOClock's app is built entirely around parent control: approved contacts only, class mode, app locking, usage schedules. Apple's Schooltime is essentially a do-not-disturb mode.
- Tracking isn't the same. Apple's location works through Find My with periodic updates — designed for finding devices, not monitoring children. The GL50 is built for child safety: real-time GPS, safe-zone geofencing with entry/exit alerts, SOS button, and removal detection that tells you if the watch comes off your child's wrist.
- Kids' health features are switched off. Apple's own documentation confirms Blood Oxygen, ECG, sleep tracking and irregular rhythm notifications don't work in a child's setup, and heart-rate alerts are 13+ only. You're paying for health hardware your child can't use. The GL50's heart rate and SpO2 monitoring works at any age.
- Battery: 18 hours. The Apple Watch needs charging every single night — miss one charge and it's dead by school pickup. The GL50 runs up to 36 hours, and its sibling the GL30 stretches to three days.
- Requires a parent iPhone. Family Setup needs an iPhone 11 or later in the house. Android families are locked out entirely. The KidsOClock app works on Android and iOS alike.
- Setup friction. Child Apple Account, Family Sharing, carrier activation — versus insert the SIM and go.
Being Fair: Where Apple Genuinely Wins
- 50-metre water resistance. The Apple Watch is swim-proof; the GL50's IP67 rating is splash-proof only. For a kid who swims squad every morning, this is Apple's strongest card.
- Teen appeal. A 14-year-old will not wear a "kids watch" — but they'll happily wear an Apple Watch. For teenagers, especially in an iPhone household, it's the natural choice.
- Hardware and ecosystem. Apple's build quality, display and app ecosystem are the best in the business.
Who Should Buy Which
Choose the GL50 Genius if: your child is under ~12, you want video calling, real-time child GPS tracking with safe zones, working health monitoring, full parental control, Android compatibility — or you simply don't want to spend $489 plus $20/month on a watch that does less for your child.
Choose the Apple Watch SE 3 if: you have a teenager who'd refuse a kids watch, you're an iPhone family, swimming matters more than video calls, and budget isn't the deciding factor.
The Bottom Line
The Apple Watch is the best smartwatch in the world — for adults. For children, it's a $489 device with no camera, no video calls, periodic tracking, kids' health features disabled, an 18-hour battery, and a monthly carrier plan on top. The GL50 Genius was designed from a blank page around one question — what does a child actually need? — and it shows: video calls, real-time safety tracking, parent-controlled everything, up to 36 hours of battery, at $239.95.
Buy the tool built for the job.
Still weighing up a watch against a first phone? Read Kids Smart Watch vs Phone: Which Should Your Child Get First. Not sure your child is ready? See What Age Should a Child Get a Smart Watch?
Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS + Cellular) pricing from apple.com/au, July 2026. Kids' feature limitations from Apple's published Family Setup documentation. Telstra Watch Plan pricing from telstra.com.au, July 2026. KidsOClock pricing from kidsoclock.com.au, July 2026. ProductReview.com.au Award Winner 2023–2026.
