What appears to be a move to sell more smartwatches, Apple has launched a new campaign targeting parents. The Cupertino tech giant is trying to pitch its cellular-equipped Apple Watch as a lifeline for concerned parents.
As per CNBC, the timing of the new campaign comes at a time when many schools are said to be pondering smartphone bans amidst fears over the mental health effects caused by classroom distractions.
A new Apple site, “A Great Call For Kids,” touts how the Apple Watch keeps parents updated on their child’s location and in touch through calls and messages.
According to Apple, it is easy for parents to set up any cellular Apple Watch for their kids, even if they don’t have an iPhone. In this way, the setup will make it easy for kids to communicate and be located by family and friends. This would give peace of mind to the parents and independence to the children.
It has some out-of-the-box thoughts that could prove to be useful for younger users. For instance, Schooltime restricts notifications and apps during school hours with a yellow distinctive circle on the watch face, thus eliminating a lot of digital noise to help them focus through the school day.
Precise Location Tracking with Find My in Apple Watch
Further, Find My enables location tracking with exact locations and even sends a notification to the parents once their child arrives at or leaves places like school or home.
For parents who are beyond concern, looking to put a smartphone into young children’s hands, or for schools looking to ban smartphones, Apple pitches the Apple Watch as a solution.
It pushes directly into long-term trends. Domestic efforts in states and cities like Virginia, New York City, and Los Angeles either enact or propose rules against smartphone use in schools. One of the UK’s most influential schools recently banned smartphones for new 13-year-old students.
Apple’s approach to this goes beyond selling smartwatches to alleviate standard parental concerns about smartphone use in educational settings, mirroring broader social developments aimed at better handling the digital engagement of children.
