Apple Watch SE 3 with Apple Watch For Your Kids review

Apple Watch SE 3 is the cheapest Apple Watch, and Apple lets a parent set up any GPS + Cellular model for a child who does not have an iPhone. The child gets their own phone number and Apple Account, and the parent manages the watch from the Apple Watch app on their own iPhone, pairing one watch for each child. Kids can call and text the contacts you approve, including by voice, and Find My shows their location with alerts when they arrive somewhere, get home or leave a place like school. Communication Safety blocks detected nudity in Messages and FaceTime video messages and now intervenes on gore and violence too. The SE 3 starts at $249 for the GPS model, but a child's watch must be the GPS + Cellular version, which costs more, and it needs a carrier plan. That makes it the most capable watch here and one of the most expensive, best kept for tweens in iPhone families.

Who it is for

iPhone families with older kids who want a full smartwatch with calls, texts and Find My.

Price

From $249 for the GPS model at the Apple Store when checked; a child's watch needs the GPS + Cellular model, which costs more, plus a carrier plan.

Apple Watch SE 3 From $249 44mm or 40mm aluminum case
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 8, 2026.

Key features

• A child gets their own phone number and Apple Account on any GPS + Cellular model
• Calls and texts with contacts the parent approves, including by voice
• Find My location with alerts on arrival, home and when leaving places like school
• Communication Safety that intervenes on detected nudity, gore or violence
• Managed from the Apple Watch app on a parent's iPhone

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: The most capable hardware and app library here
• Strength: Several kids can be paired to one parent's iPhone
• Strength: Communication Safety in Messages and FaceTime video messages
• Weakness: Requires a parent iPhone and the pricier GPS + Cellular model
• Weakness: Needs a cellular plan from a carrier
• Weakness: Far more features than a young child needs

Key facts

• Price: From $249 (GPS model)
• Required model: GPS + Cellular
• Parent device: iPhone
• Sizes: 40 mm or 44 mm
• Location: Find My with arrival and departure alerts

Where it ranks

Apple Watch SE 3 with Apple Watch For Your Kids is No. 7 in our Best Kids Smartwatches verdict.