The Garmin Bounce is an LTE smartwatch to help parents track their kids

The smartwatch supports texting, voice messages, and activity tracking and works primarily through the Garmin Jr. app. No smartphone for you, Bobby.

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Garmin already has a ton of colorful fitness trackers for kids, but today, it’s launching the $149.99 Bounce — its first LTE smartwatch for kids. The device is meant to help parents keep an eye on their kids without having to shell out for a smartphone or manage what their kids are doing with it.

Bounce includes both built-in GPS and LTE. On top of tracking their child’s whereabouts, Bounce allows parents to set alerts for whenever their child leaves a designated area. Children can also send their current location to their parents via a notification in the Garmin Jr. app. Like Apple’s Family Setup on the Apple Watch, parents can activate a do-not-disturb mode during school hours.

Aside from location tracking, Bounce also supports two-way text and voice messages. Kids can send messages directly from the watch, which parents then receive in the app. Children can also send messages to other Bounce watches, so long as it belongs to a parent-approved contact. There’s also an Assistance feature where children in distress can alert their family in the Garmin Jr. app, along with a live view of their current location.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Garmin if there weren’t any health and fitness features. Like Garmin’s other fitness trackers for kids, Bounce tracks sleep, steps, and active minutes. Kids can also log activities such as walking, running, biking, and pool swimming. The Garmin Jr. app also includes gamification options, team challenges, and the ability for parents to set up chore reminders. Other “smart” features include timers, alarms, and stopwatch functions. As for the battery, Bounce is estimated to get two days on a single charge.

LTE smartwatches for kids aren’t exactly new. Sprint released a similar device in 2020, while Verizon has the GizmoWatch 2 and T-Mobile has the Timex Family Connect. But while those watches are tied to a carrier, the Bounce is carrier agnostic as it handles cellular through the Garmin Jr. app via a $9.99 monthly subscription. Price-wise, it’s much more affordable than using Family Setup on an Apple Watch — and roughly on par with other LTE-capable child trackers like the Jiobit Smart Tag.

The Garmin Bounce is available now in three colors: green, black, and lilac.