Our middle school has adopted some of the recommendations as outlined in the book Anxious Generation and other public policy folks:
- Phones are not allowed during the school day at all. They are allowed after school.
- Recommended: No smartphone until high school.
- Recommended: No social media until age 16.
However, the school also does not provide any supervision when not in an after-school activity, so we needed a way to communicate with them regarding pickups and carpools and such. I ended up buying an Apple Watch SE w/ Cellular (you can get a refurbished one for under $200) and went with BetterRoaming for service as a standalone phone. The major providers like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon all have different policies, but they cost at least $12-$15 a month for an independent smartphone if you don’t already have some sort of expensive unlimited plan with them. However, if you’re on a cheapo MVNO like me (Mint Mobile), many don’t support smartwatches at all. Of those that do, like the free smartwatch included on Visible+, they only let you use the watch as a paired device that shares the number with your existing iPhone.
BetterRoaming is an eSIM provider that operates worldwide, formerly known as UK-based Truphone before it was acquired by private investors. I could not find a concrete source, but based on their other eSIMs, I believe it uses AT&T towers in the US. The cost for service is $99 annually upfront ($8.33/month) (or $10.99 per month, month-to-month) and includes unlimited talk, text, and data. This was the cheapest standalone plan I could find.
There was a 7-day free trial, which I appreciated. The setup was relatively easy; the parent will need an iPhone that is connected to the Apple Watch via the Watch app for setup and changing settings, but be sure to follow the directions from BetterRoaming carefully and set up the watch as an independent phone with its own phone number. Pick “Set up for a Family Member”. Apple Watch uses eSIM so the rest is done over the air.
During real world usage, I have found that texting with my child does not work very reliably. I’ve done it with the watch right next to me and sometimes the watch does not get the message. Other times, it’s probably my kid who does not notice the message. Making traditional phone calls is the most reliable method to make contact. (Sometimes she forgets to charge the Watch and it dies as well, so definitely have a fallback plan.) The speakerphone on the Apple Watch is pretty good, but based on my personal experience the speaker can get damaged if exposed to salt water.
There is a “Schooltime” feature on the Apple Watch that restricts usage during preset hours, like Monday-Friday, 7am to 3pm. The child can disable the feature, but it is logged. During Schooltime hours, incoming calls are all ignored and don’t show up on the watch at all. I added my phone number as an whitelisted phone number; this way I can always contact her in an emergency, or during M-F school holidays where the feature is still accidentally active.
Overall, a couple of months in, I am satisfied with the combination of Apple Watch + BetterRoaming service. My middle school child now has the equivalent of a flip phone that is attached to her wrist (more likely to be heard, but also less likely to be lost). I didn’t have to change from my cheap MVNO plan (yet, I’ll need a family plan soon). I don’t have to worry about running out of minutes or text or data, even though we barely use them. I can track her location with “Find My” app, if necessary. I feel the cost is fair (of course, I’d like it to be cheaper given the light usage). With luck, the watch will last long enough to be passed down to the next child. ?
