From "positioning watches" to "social artifacts", upgraded children's phone watches are becoming popular among minors, especially urban children.
Hidden worries follow. Phone watches with upgraded functions are likely to lead to children's addiction, and there are also hidden risks of privacy exposure and illegal use.
Parents and experts call for returning phone watches to the core functions of children's health and safety to protect the physical and mental health of minors.
Functions are increasingly "mobile"
According to the "2022-2027 China Children's Smart Watch Industry In-depth Research and Investment Prospect Forecast Research Report" by the China Industrial Research Institute, the number of children aged 5-12 in China is about 170 million, and the market penetration rate of smart children's watches is about 30%. , basically 1 out of 3 children has a phone watch.
Among them, the market penetration rate of telephone watches among urban children is at least over half.
The development trajectory of children's phone watches has changed from "satisfying parents" to "pleasing children", becoming more and more popular.
Some brands of children's watches have just started to communicate with children, focusing on "two-way communication", and then gradually added various entertainment functions and upgraded iterations.
Different series of models have been launched one after another, the price ranges from 498 yuan to 1998 yuan, and the deluxe version is very rich in functions.
Ms. Zhang, a parent, said that the child has used three generations of telephone watches from the first grade to the second grade of elementary school. The original telephone watch was designed for parents to keep track of the child's location. It only designed GPS positioning and calling functions. , taking pictures and other functions in one, children can't put it down.
Banyuetan reporter’s investigation found that these children’s phone watches are pre-installed with chat software, voice assistants, red envelope payment, story songs, dictionary and question banks and other applications. Among them, the chat software can send voice, pictures, emoticons, or video calls. With the function of WeChat Moments, watch friends can like or comment on each other, just like a "mini version of a smartphone".
Hidden worries about Internet addiction
The social function in the phone watch is most popular with children.
For example, some watches can "touch and add friends", and can also post a circle of friends, and other people can check in at any time, comment and like.
However, through the medium of phones and watches, children's premature "network socialization" has certain harm.
May lead to Internet addiction in children.
Some parents told Banyuetan reporters that even adults can't resist the temptation of social media, they can't stop swiping their phones, let alone children?
Sometimes it is found that children are still hiding in bed in the early morning and chatting with phones and watches, which is no less addictive than mobile phones.
Lu Aitao, a professor at the School of Psychology of South China Normal University, believes that elementary school students are in a critical period of physical and mental development, and their self-control and self-discipline are weak. The online world can easily give children a sense of gain and satisfaction.
Obsessed with sending rings and punching cards on phones and watches may aggravate children's Internet dependence and even lead to Internet addiction.
Excessive use of smart products can also lead to problems such as decreased concentration, decreased vision, and decreased sleep quality in children.
Some parents are worried that their children's exposure to too much and overly adult online information will lead to precocious psychology, and that indulging in virtual online social interaction may reduce their children's interpersonal skills and willingness in real life.
"Too many functions added to children's phone watches are disadvantages rather than benefits for children." A parent said that children have a strong herd mentality. If other children are using these functions, their own children will definitely want to use them.
Some children's watches have a risk of privacy exposure.
Banyuetan reporters found that some children’s smart watches with older versions and lower configurations do not have corresponding privacy settings, and various App installations can enable various sensitive permissions without user authorization, and remotely obtain the child’s location, face images and conversations, etc. information.
Once someone with malicious intentions hacks into the watch, the parents' "artifact of peace of mind" will become a "tracker" for peeping at their children.
According to expert analysis, due to children's lack of ability to distinguish right from wrong, phone watches may also be used by some unscrupulous elements. They can pretend to be children's peers through a phone watch, thereby conveying wrong values and inducing shopping. The bombardment of information at any time will also affect Children's work and rest, and even trick children into breaking the law and committing crimes.
Multi-party efforts to strengthen supervision and guidance
All countries in the world have noticed the harm of social networking to young people.
In September this year, Facebook in the United States suspended its Instagram (photo social platform) experience plan for teenagers under the age of 13.
The United Kingdom has introduced the strictest new Internet regulations, stipulating that minors cannot like on social media.
Australia plans to draft the "Online Privacy Protection Act", which stipulates that social media must give priority to the protection of minors, and companies that violate the regulations will face tens of millions of yuan in penalties.
In order to better protect the growth of minors, experts suggest that industry review and supervision should be strengthened, and health guidelines should be standardized.
We should learn from the practices of some foreign countries, include children’s access to social media into the scope of supervision, strengthen the review and rectification of children’s smart products and applications; issue guidelines on the design and promotion of children’s smart products, so that enterprises can develop related products legally You can rely on.
Parents and experts also call on companies to self-discipline and upgrade and optimize children's products with health and safety as the core.
Lu Aitao said that the design of all functions should conform to the characteristics of children's physical and mental development and meet their actual needs.
It is not advisable to increase product premium by stacking functions and hype concepts.
It is necessary to guide the upgrading and promotion of relevant products, prohibit other additional functions that are not suitable for children, strengthen information security protection, check and improve program loopholes, and prevent children's physical and mental safety from being threatened by program loopholes.
Experts also suggest that education departments, schools, families, and society form a joint force to weave a safety net.
On the one hand, carry out education courses on the hazards of children's smart products and mental health, so that students can enhance their ability to resist bad information; on the other hand, correctly guide children to establish healthy and interactive relationships by improving social skills, enriching hobbies, and increasing interesting activities Relationships, consciously provide more "real social interaction".
At the same time, parents should also play a guiding and exemplary role, paying attention to the physical and mental changes of their children, so that their hearts become full and strong.
(Ban Yue Tan Wang Ban Yue Tan reporter: Zheng Tianhong Ding Le Li Jiale)