Health – our ability to monitor it, and motivation to improve it – is a major selling point for smartwatches. A recent survey found, for example, that smartwatch owners tend to exercise at least one day more every week than people who don’t have a smartwatch. It’s unlikely that the device causes this increase, but it almost unquestionably encourages the additional workouts.
Factor in the facility to store potentially life-saving medical information and to contact emergency services instantly, and it’s clear that smartwatches have plenty to recommend them. As our NOS #WakeUpWednesday guide discovers, however, possible hazards including hidden costs and night-time use interfering with sleep mean that it’s not universally good news for parents.
Launched in 2014, Apple’s first-generation smartwatch, the Series 0, performed disappointingly and software updates were eventually discontinued in 2018. Undaunted, the Californian tech giant beefed up the fitness-oriented features on its future models and smartwatches swiftly began to gain both traction and credibility with impressed consumers. They’re convenient for staying in touch on the go (almost two billion messages are sent from smartwatches every year), but this simultaneously can put younger wearers at risk of being contracted by strangers via their smartwatch – if the device isn’t configured properly. There’s more advice on how to avoid potential smartwatch pitfalls in this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide.
