Kids’ smartwatches are becoming increasingly common among families in China as parents look for a way to communicate with children, track their location and introduce digital technology without giving them a full smartphone. Recent reporting and market research show strong adoption, particularly among children aged 5–12, while brands such as Xiaotiancai, Huawei and Xiaomi compete across safety, education, communication and social features.

The trend is also attracting regulatory attention because these devices can collect children’s location and other personal information. China’s rules for protecting minors’ personal information and preventing excessive internet use therefore form an important part of the market’s future.

Introduction

Kids’ smartwatches are becoming a significant part of everyday childhood technology in China, with parents increasingly using them as an alternative to giving young children smartphones.

The trend has been highlighted in reporting published on September 28, 2026, following a Wall Street Journal report on the growing popularity of children’s smartwatches among Chinese families. The devices are being used for more than telling time: they can provide voice and video calls, GPS-based location tracking, emergency communication, parental controls and, on some models, payment and educational functions.

Recent Chinese market data also shows substantial demand. According to figures from market research company RUNTO reported in August 2025, China’s children’s smartwatch market sold 8.12 million units during the first half of 2025, an increase of 11.4% from the same period a year earlier. RUNTO expected the full-year market to reach approximately 18 million units.

The popularity of these devices reflects a particular balance that many parents are seeking: giving children a way to communicate independently while maintaining more control over their digital environment than a conventional smartphone may provide.

What Happened?

The latest discussion around children’s smartwatches in China focuses on how these devices have moved from being a niche safety gadget to becoming an increasingly visible consumer technology product for school-age children.

Recent reporting says that approximately one in three Chinese children aged 5 to 12 owns a smartwatch, with ownership reportedly exceeding half among children in urban areas. Those figures were cited by Seoul Economic Daily in its September 28, 2026 report, which referenced the Wall Street Journal and Chinese market research.

The devices initially became popular largely because of safety functions.

Parents could use them to call children, locate them using GPS and receive emergency alerts. Over time, manufacturers expanded the functionality to include video calls, messaging, educational content, health-related features and social functions.

That has changed the role of the product.

Instead of simply functioning as a location tracker, the smartwatch can now act as a child’s first connected device.

This distinction is important because parents can often control the device through a companion application. Contacts may be restricted, certain functions can be disabled and parents can monitor selected aspects of the child’s use.

The result is a technology positioned between a traditional watch and a smartphone.

Key Details

Several developments help explain why kids’ smartwatches Chinese parents are increasingly choosing have become such a notable market trend.

• China is a major market for children’s smartwatches.
• RUNTO reported 8.12 million children’s smartwatch sales in China during the first half of 2025, up 11.4% year over year.
• RUNTO expected China’s full-year 2025 children’s smartwatch market to reach approximately 18 million units.
• Xiaotiancai, also known internationally as Imoo, was the leading brand in the first half of 2025, according to the reported RUNTO data.
• Xiaotiancai had a 35.3% sales share in the traditional major e-commerce platforms covered by the report, while Huawei had 12.2% and Xiaomi’s Mitu brand had 9.4%.
• Counterpoint Research reported that children’s and basic smartwatches together represented 27% and 23%, respectively, of China’s smartwatch shipments in 2025.
• Safety features such as GPS location tracking and emergency communication remain important reasons for purchase.
• Newer devices increasingly combine communication, education, health-related functions and social features.
• Some higher-end devices use combinations of satellite positioning, cellular networks, Wi-Fi and sensors to improve location accuracy.

The market is therefore not simply growing because parents want another electronic gadget. Manufacturers are adding functions designed specifically around children’s daily lives and parents’ supervision needs.

Why Are Chinese Parents Choosing Smartwatches Instead of Smartphones?

One of the central reasons behind the trend is the desire for communication without unrestricted smartphone access.

A smartphone can provide children with a broad range of applications, websites, social networks, games and other digital services.

A children’s smartwatch can provide a more limited environment.

Parents may be able to decide which contacts a child can communicate with, manage certain applications and control other functions through a connected parental interface.

For parents, this creates a compromise.

The child can call home after school.

A parent can check where the child is.

An emergency call can potentially be made without requiring the child to carry a smartphone.

At the same time, parents can retain greater control over the device.

This is especially relevant for younger school-age children who may not yet need the full functionality of a smartphone.

GPS and Child Safety Are Major Selling Points

Location tracking is one of the strongest reasons parents buy children’s smartwatches.

Basic models can provide location information through GPS and mobile networks. More advanced models may combine multiple positioning technologies.

The latest reporting describes some high-end devices capable of providing highly detailed location information, including information that can help determine where a child is inside a building.

For families visiting crowded shopping centres, parks, transport hubs or tourist attractions, the ability to contact and locate a child can provide an additional safety tool.

However, location tracking also creates a privacy responsibility.

A child’s location is sensitive personal information, and parents need to understand what data a smartwatch collects, where it is stored, who can access it and how long it is retained.

That concern is particularly significant in China because children’s personal information receives specific protection under the country’s privacy framework.

China’s Regulations Put Children’s Data in the Spotlight

China’s Personal Information Protection Law classifies information relating to the whereabouts of individuals as sensitive personal information. It also treats personal information belonging to children under 14 as sensitive personal information. Processing such information requires stronger protections and, for children under 14, parental or guardian consent.

China’s Regulations on the Protection of Minors on the Internet also establish specific obligations concerning children’s online safety and personal information.

The rules say that providers handling minors’ personal information must follow requirements relating to necessary data collection, while parents and guardians have rights concerning access, correction and deletion of children’s personal information.

This means the growth of children’s smartwatches is not simply a consumer-electronics story.

It is also a data-protection issue.

Chinese Regulators Are Paying Attention to Children’s Smart Devices

China has increasingly focused on protecting children as they use connected devices.

The government says the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has conducted its “Child Protection” initiative since 2022, with measures intended to strengthen protection of minors’ personal information.

A government report published in June 2025 said children’s smartwatches had been included in terminal network-access management as part of efforts to improve product quality and the protection of minors’ personal information.

China’s 2023 regulations on online protection of minors also encourage the development and use of smart terminal products designed specifically for minors.

The regulations say such products should provide functions intended to protect children’s personal information, prevent excessive internet use and help parents carry out their supervisory responsibilities.

These requirements could influence how children’s smartwatches are designed and marketed.

The Market Is Becoming More Competitive

The Chinese market is not dominated by one type of company.

It includes specialist children’s technology brands as well as major consumer-electronics manufacturers.

RUNTO’s first-half 2025 figures placed Xiaotiancai first, followed by Huawei and Xiaomi’s Mitu.

Counterpoint Research also reported strong participation by local technology companies in China’s broader smartwatch market.

According to Counterpoint’s 2025 analysis, Huawei accounted for 42% of China’s overall smartwatch market, while Imoo and Xiaomi were also among the leading players. Children’s and basic smartwatches together represented a substantial portion of shipments.

Competition is therefore taking place across several dimensions:

• Price
• Battery life
• GPS accuracy
• Calling and messaging
• Education features
• Parental controls
• Health functions
• Social features
• Brand ecosystem
• Data protection
• Design and durability

Education and Social Features Are Becoming More Important

The children’s smartwatch market has also developed beyond safety.

RUNTO’s reported analysis describes Xiaotiancai’s advantage as being linked to an “education + social” strategy.

This reflects a broader change in children’s technology.

A smartwatch can become part of a child’s social environment. Children may communicate with friends who use compatible devices, participate in group features or interact through proprietary ecosystems.

That can increase the usefulness of the device for children, but it can also create a new form of peer pressure.

The September 2026 reporting noted that children’s interest in particular brands and social ecosystems can influence parents’ purchasing decisions.

This means the decision to buy a smartwatch is not always driven entirely by safety.

Children themselves can become participants in the demand for particular brands and models.

What a 2026 Academic Study Found About Chinese Families

A peer-reviewed study published in Children & Society in April 2026 provides additional context.

Researchers Lingwei Shao and Xinyao Jin interviewed 17 parents and nine children aged 6–12 to examine how smartwatches are incorporated into children’s everyday lives in China.

The researchers found that although children wear the devices, parents generally purchase them and play an important role in managing their use. The study described three broad parental roles: gatekeepers, monitors and mentors.

The study does not establish how all Chinese families use smartwatches because its sample was small and qualitative.

However, it provides useful evidence that children’s smartwatches can become part of family routines rather than functioning simply as standalone gadgets.

The researchers also found a tension between parental protection and children’s growing autonomy.

That tension is likely to remain important as children become more comfortable with connected technology.

What Officials and Organizations Said

Chinese regulations provide a clear framework for the protection of children using connected devices.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other government bodies have emphasized the protection of minors’ personal information and the need for responsible handling of children’s data. The government says children’s smartwatches have been brought into terminal network-access management as part of these efforts.

The Ministry of Education has also highlighted the importance of managing minors’ use of smart terminal products in schools.

China’s Regulations on the Protection of Minors on the Internet state that schools should establish appropriate systems for managing students’ use of internet-connected devices during school time. They also encourage smart terminal products specifically designed for minors to include functions supporting parental supervision, personal-information protection and prevention of excessive internet use.

The Cyberspace Administration of China similarly issued guidance in 2024 stating that children’s smartwatches and other children’s smart devices should follow relevant requirements relating to usage periods, duration, content and functions to help prevent excessive internet use.

These measures show that Chinese authorities view children’s connected devices as both useful technology and an area requiring safeguards.

Why This Matters

The rise of kids’ smartwatches in China illustrates a broader question facing parents around the world:

How can children gain the benefits of connected technology without receiving unrestricted access to smartphones and social media?

Smartwatches offer one possible middle ground.

They can provide:

• Parent-child communication
• Emergency contact
• Location tracking
• Limited digital access
• Parental controls
• Educational functions
• Selected social communication

But they also introduce concerns.

Privacy

Location tracking means a device may continuously or periodically process information about where a child is.

Parents should therefore understand the manufacturer’s privacy policy and data practices before purchasing.

Screen and internet use

A smartwatch is smaller than a smartphone, but it is still a connected digital device.

Children can potentially spend substantial time interacting with digital content, messaging and games if the product’s controls permit it.

Social pressure

When children use the same brand-specific ecosystem as classmates, the device can become part of their social identity.

That may encourage demand for more expensive models or particular brands.

Cost

The market includes products across multiple price categories.

Recent reporting says Xiaotiancai models can range from roughly $90 to more than $300, while Chinese market research has identified entry-level, mid-range and premium price segments.

A more expensive smartwatch is not automatically safer or more useful for every child.

What Happens Next?

The children’s smartwatch market in China is likely to remain closely connected to three developments: technology, consumer demand and regulation.

Manufacturers are continuing to add functions such as improved location tracking, health sensors, education services, communication tools and social features.

At the same time, regulators are emphasizing children’s personal-information protection and controls over online activity.

For parents, the next phase of the market may therefore involve more scrutiny of what these devices actually collect and what parents can control.

A key question will be whether manufacturers can continue adding useful features while keeping children’s digital environments manageable and protecting sensitive personal information.

There is also no evidence that every Chinese child needs a smartwatch. The phrase “must-have” describes a strong consumer trend reported by media and market research, not a universal requirement.

The Bigger Picture

China’s children’s smartwatch boom offers a glimpse into how the role of personal technology is changing.

The traditional path was often:

No phone → first smartphone → more independent digital access.

The emerging model can instead look like:

No connected device → children’s smartwatch → controlled communication → later smartphone.

That does not mean smartwatches will replace smartphones.

Rather, they can occupy a separate category designed around children’s age, parental supervision and limited connectivity.

The Chinese market is particularly interesting because the combination of strong domestic technology companies, large-scale e-commerce, high smartphone penetration and specific child-protection regulations has created an environment where children’s smart devices can develop rapidly.

As the market matures, the most important competition may not simply be about who sells the most watches.

It may increasingly be about who can combine safety, usability, privacy, parental control and child-friendly technology most effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why are kids’ smartwatches becoming popular among Chinese parents?

Parents are increasingly using children’s smartwatches for communication, location tracking and emergency contact while maintaining greater control over digital features than they might have with a smartphone.

2. How many children’s smartwatches are sold in China?

RUNTO reported that approximately 8.12 million children’s smartwatches were sold in China during the first half of 2025, up 11.4% year over year. The research firm expected full-year 2025 sales to reach about 18 million units.

3. Which brands are leading China’s kids’ smartwatch market?

RUNTO’s first-half 2025 data reported Xiaotiancai as the leading brand, with Huawei and Xiaomi’s Mitu also among the major players. Xiaotiancai had a 35.3% sales share in the traditional major e-commerce platforms covered by that report.

4. What can children’s smartwatches do?

Depending on the model, children’s smartwatches can provide voice and video calls, messaging, GPS location tracking, emergency alerts, parental controls, educational content, health-related functions and social features. Some higher-end devices also offer payment functionality.

5. Are Chinese children using smartwatches instead of smartphones?

Increasingly, some parents are choosing children’s smartwatches as an alternative to giving younger children smartphones. The devices provide selected communication and safety functions while allowing parents to restrict some smartphone-like features.

6. Are children’s smartwatches safe for privacy?

They can create privacy risks because location and other information about children may be collected. China’s Personal Information Protection Law gives special protection to sensitive personal information, including location information and personal information belonging to children under 14.

Parents should review what information a device collects, why it collects it, how it is stored and how parental controls work before buying.

7. Does China regulate children’s smart devices?

Yes. China’s Regulations on the Protection of Minors on the Internet address children’s smart terminal products, personal-information protection and prevention of excessive internet use. Government guidance also specifically references children’s smartwatches and other children’s smart devices.

8. Are kids’ smartwatches really a “must-have” for every Chinese family?

No. “Must-have” is a description of a strong consumer trend, not a universal requirement. Market research and recent reporting show substantial adoption, but families have different needs, budgets and views about children’s technology use.