'Hard currency'

The rapid evolution of children's smartwatches has also raised concerns among education experts.

Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said some children's watch accounts — with hundreds of friends and tens of thousands of likes — have become tradable commodities, sometimes selling for hundreds of yuan online.

Originally designed for children's safety, these devices are increasingly being transformed into social "hard currency" among elementary and middle school students, Xiong said. He pointed to the emergence of gray market activities like account cultivation and leasing centered around these devices.

Xiong attributed these developments to manufacturers' strategic decisions.

"Many producers have continuously added smartphone-like features — cameras, chat functions, video calls, social feeds — progressively strengthening the social aspect," he said.

While these features enhance market appeal, they also introduce risks into devices that parents perceive as enhancing their child's safety.

However, Xiong's greatest concern is what he calls the "social black box" effect.

Children's smartwatches create private digital spaces isolated from parental supervision while remaining accessible to strangers. Within these environments, children face powerful group pressures where virtual capital, like contacts and badges, determines social status, potentially distorting development of their value systems, he said.

Xiong called for regulatory intervention.

Supervisory departments should redefine product standards for children's smartwatches based on the Law on the Protection of Minors, restricting excessive entertainment and social functions, he said.

Xiong urged strengthened management of built-in applications, social features, and payment mechanisms to curb gray market activities and comparison culture.

"The watch has both advantages and disadvantages," Yu reflected. "It helps us maintain friendships and share our lives, but you always need to be careful."

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn