I just went hands-on with the Bark smartwatch for kids and it’s seriously easy to set up and use. Best of all, unlike competitor devices from Fitbit and Pinwheel, there’s no added software bloat.
Games and apps are non-existent, instead, it’s all about safety and communication. Here's everything you need to know.
Bark Watch for Kids – Key features
- GPS location tracking with arrival and departure alerts
- Only approved contacts can call/text
- Front-facing camera, microphone and speaker for video calls
- Waterproof design
- No games or apps
- Simple user interface and setup process
Bark smartwatch for kids – Price and availability
The Bark smartwatch for kids is available now (U.S. only) from Bark directly for $7 a month for the device itself (for the first two years) and another $15 for monthly connectivity. After two years, when the watch is paid off, it drops back to $15 a month.
By comparison, the Fitbit Ace LTE has a one-time cost of $179.99 for the watch and then you pay $9.99 a month for connectivity. The Pinwheel Watch, meanwhile, is $159 for the device and $15 a month for connectivity.
This means that in the first year, the Fitbit will cost you roughly $300 while the Bark Watch will run you $264. Of course, in the second year, the Fitbit will only cost you $120 while the Bark will continue to be $264, that is until year three when it goes back down to $180 a year.
Bark Watch for Kids — design and operation
The Bark Watch looks kind of like a chunky, plastic Apple Watch SE (2022) with a noticeably thick bezel. But that also means that the AMOLED touchscreen is decently sized at 1.6 inches and fairly responsive. With a max brightness of 400 nits, it can be a tad difficult to use in bright sunlight but not impossible.
The Bark Watch is IP68-rated, so it can survive full-on submersion in water for short periods (no deeper than 1.5 meters). That should be enough protection for sledding, running through sprinklers, jumping in puddles and other childhood hijinks.
However, the screen lacks any sort of bezel protection. So, I do worry about its impact-resistance.
There are two physical buttons on the side of the case, a power button and and SOS button. Pushing the latter brings up the SOS menu where kids can connect to their emergency contact via call or text, view saved medical info or call 911.
Swiping left or right on the screen cycles through the various apps, which include a camera, clock, contact list, photo gallery of images and videos captured with the device, messages, a call log, and the settings menu (which ideally, would be lockable).
There’s also a ‘Bark’ app that displays your child’s name and phone number. Swiping down brings up the basic watch settings, like volume and screen brightness, while swiping up shows recent system notifications. Pressing the power button returns you to the homescreen.
Outside of those options, there’s little more to the Bark Watch. Of course, much of what makes it such a powerful device is how you set it up on the backend as parents using either the Bark app or by logging into the Bark site via a web browser.
Within the app, you can add approved contacts, check in on your child’s current location and setup location alerts so that you know when they’ve safely arrived at school or a friend’s house, for example.
Parents can also block access to the watch’s camera, remotely add a passcode, disable the device or limit screen time.
Bark Watch — battery life
The brand doesn’t provide a battery life rating but does mention that the watch has a sizable 700 mAh battery onboard. That said, I’ve stumbled across numerous forum posts complaining that the battery barely makes it through a day.
Seeing that even the best Apple Watch models also barely last a day, I don’t think this is necessarily a dealbreaker, but it does mean that you’ll need to potentially nag your child nightly to pop it on the charger.
With no sleep-tracking or health sensors to speak of, there’s no reason for them to wear it to bed anyhow.
Bark Watch — outlook
Parents looking for a straightforward, safety-rich wearable for their kids might want to consider the Bark Watch. It's priced similarly to the competition and just as functional where it counts.
I'm impressed with how easy it is to get up and running and the GPS location tracking, emergency SOS and variety of communication options all work flawlessly. The device itself is also fairly easy to navigate and reasonably well-built, though I could see the touchscreen being fussy for particularly young users.
Screen aside, my biggest hesitation about the Bark Watch is the size. The case is 42mm x 50mm and 15mm thick with a weight of 50 g. That’s pretty darn chunky!
The smaller Apple Watch SE (2022) by comparison is 40 x 32 x 11mm and weighs just 26g. Meanwhile, the Fitbit Ace LTE is 41 x 34 x 13mm and 28g.
For now, what I like best about the Bark Watch for kids is the laser beam focus on safety and connectivity and the utter lack of unnecessary features.
My other potential sticking point is battery life, which is why I’ve got the device fully charged up now and will be testing its longevity over the next few days. As noted above, if it does make it through a full waking day on a single charge, then that’s good enough for me. If not, it could be a dealbreaker.
For now, what I like best about the Bark Watch for kids is the laser beam focus on safety and connectivity and the utter lack of unnecessary features. If that appeals to you, too, then it might be the kid-friendly smartwatch for you.
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