Bark Watch - Safest Smart Watch for Kids - Talk and Text - GPS Tracking - Text, Video, and Phone Monitoring - Manage All Contacts - SOS Button - CV16

We got this to help our 8 year old start developing some independence. He is just a little skittish out in the world and doesn't like being alone. Ever. I wanted him to get used to being at home for 10-15 minute periods by himself while I pick up his siblings from school, BUT we are big on no screens in our family. We believe in more independence in the real world and very little independence with technology. My husband has a flip phone so we needed a watch that didn't require an app to text. We also wanted one with very limited functionality and heavy on the parental controls. This has been fantastic so far. We've had it for about 2 weeks. An added bonus is that he loves "cold calling" his grandparents and auntie. During pre-approved hours, he loves calling and leaving them audio texts. Something I didn't realize would be so helpful was the screening of all texts for questionable content. I got a notification when he texted his grandma for the first time and she wrote back "who is this?" The notification said he might be texting someone unknown, but that was cleared up quickly. It gives me a lot of peace of mind knowing he can have some privacy, but if anything is dangerous, I'll know about it. Since the contacts are put in by me and very limited, I wasn't worried to begin with, but this extra fail safe has been fantastic. Set up was super easy and fast. The only trouble we've had is when he's been playing hard and sweating, he'll plug the watch in and it won't charge. It tells you it's slow charging and to clean the sensors, and when he notices, he does it and it'll charge fine. But he's 8 and won't often notice. I have issues with silicone bands causing chemical burns on my watches, so I got him a nylon band on amazon which he likes and allow him to find a comfortable fit. The watch face itself is quite large. Overall we are so happy with this purchase and I have already recommended it several times.

Setup was straightforward—I downloaded the Bark app, connected the watch via Bluetooth/WiFi, and within minutes, it was ready to use. The app is user-friendly, allowing me to customize settings and monitor my child's activity seamlessly. My child wears it all day, and we only need to charge it every 1-2 days. That’s a win in my book! I love that my child can make and receive calls, but only from approved contacts. This ensures no random calls or spam. The voice quality is clear, and the speaker is loud enough for kids to hear. The real-time location tracking is very accurate! As a mom, I feel more at ease knowing where my child is at all times. You can even set up geofencing to get alerts if your child leaves a designated area (like school or a friend’s house). This is a game-changer! With one press, my child can instantly alert me in case of an emergency. Thankfully, we haven’t had to use it yet, but it gives me peace of mind.This watch was designed with safety in mind. Unlike some smartwatches that allow internet access and social media, Bark Watch is focused on safe communication. Through the Bark app, I can control who my child can contact and monitor messages if needed. My son loves the reminders and alarms. There's also do not disturb mode which can be set by the parent and it's also durable and water-resistant! i love that there's no internet or games, because I prefer a device free of distractions. This is definitely top notch! I'd say go for it!

Pros: * Incredible GPS accuracy: I can see my son running laps at his school's play field and I've learned exactly where his classroom is on campus. Quite impressed with the real-time accuracy of the location reporting. * Phone calls are very clear and sound good * Text messages and multimedia messages work well * Bark integration and cost savings are a plus. Since we were committed to paying for Bark Premium anyway (other kid and other devices, the addition of this watch does not really increase our monthly costs -- since Bark Premium is included. Cons: * As others have reported, battery life is not great. We definitely have to put it on a charger every night and on some (longer) days I'm afraid it might run out before our son is home. For peace of mind, I've purchased an additional charging cable and put it in my child's school bag (in case of emergency). I'm hoping a future software update might help this * No group text messaging -- only one-to-one. This would be nice, but not a show stopper. * No step counting (also would be nice, but not a huge deal). I think I read this is on Bark's wish list for future enhancements. * Wish there were more accessories available -- like a tempered glass screen protector (found a 3rd party soft-film protector on Amazon, but would prefer glass better) Overall, I'm satisfied with it and with the included Bark Premium service (for all our kids), it eliminates the recurring costs that a competitor's watch would bring. UPDATE: As of late Feb, watch has received a couple of OTA updates and battery life has improved. In addition, a step-counter was added, which is a nice bonus.

We’ve been using the Bark Watch for a bit now, and overall it’s been a great experience. The setup was straightforward, and it’s been reassuring to have a way to stay connected with our child without giving them full access to a smartphone. The safety features are what really stand out. Location tracking works well, and the communication tools give us peace of mind while still allowing our kid some independence. The watch is comfortable, durable, and easy for a child to use, which is a big plus. Battery life has been solid for daily use, and the companion app is intuitive and helpful for parents. We also appreciate that Bark Watch focuses on safety and connection rather than distractions. Overall, this has been a great purchase for our family and does exactly what we were hoping for. We’d definitely recommend it to other parents looking for a kid-friendly smartwatch with strong safety features.

Great concept poor execution. The idea behind this watch is exactly what I wanted for our kids. Not quite ready for a phone but to have the ability to text and call. We bought 3 for our kids, ages 8,9,10. The good - the app was super easy to use. Setting up the watch was simple. Text monitoring and scheduling downtime were really cool. The bad - battery life, battery life, battery life. Wow is the battery terrible. Would barely last a school day. Keep in my mind the watch has no games or Internet for the kid to use and drain the battery. Screen was ok, but the swiping motions didn't react very well. More often than not when they would swipe left to get to messages the watch reacted like it swiped down to access settings. Keyboard was ok, but buttons are tiny and difficult to use if you're a grown up. Kids seemed to do ok. Location monitoring was ok, but would get multiple alerts kids were at a location when they hadn't left for hours. It was like the cell service would hit a different tower and send an alert.