When 11-year-old Yu Zexi from Changsha, Hunan province, began describing her smartwatch usage, she spoke with the fluency of a seasoned social media user.

当来自湖南长沙的11岁女孩余泽曦（音译）开始描述她使用智能手表的经历时，她展现出娴熟的社交媒体用户般的流畅表达。

"I've had my smartwatch since second grade — that's over three years now," she said. With more than 70 contacts on her device, she actively participates in her peer social network. "I use it to chat with friends on a WeChat-like function, share updates in my circle of friends, and post photos from my life."

她说：“我从二年级就开始戴智能手表了——到现在已经三年多了。”她的设备里存有70多个联系人，积极参与着同龄人的社交圈。“我用它通过类似微信的功能和朋友聊天，在朋友圈分享动态，还发布生活照片。”

Yet this digital connectivity comes with self-awareness. "It's easy to get addicted," she confessed, recalling a time when she bypassed parental controls. "When my dad disabled my watch functions, I found a way to reactivate them when I got his cellphone during homework time, but he eventually found out and locked it again."

然而这种数字连接伴随着自我觉察。“很容易上瘾，”她坦承道，回忆起自己曾绕过家长控制的经历，“当爸爸禁用我的手表功能时，我趁做作业时拿走他的手机，设法重新激活功能，但爸爸最终发现后又会锁定手表”。

Her classmate Huang Lei has a more controlled relationship with her device. "I only wear my watch on weekends or when I go out alone to (outside) interest classes," she said.

她的同班同学黄蕾（音译）与电子设备的关系较为克制。她说：“我只在周末或独自外出参加兴趣班时才戴手表。”

Like Yu, she's well-versed in the watch's social features. "You can post photos, send voice messages, like others' posts — it's essentially a mini-smartphone on your wrist."

和余泽曦（音译）一样，她对这款手表的社交功能也了如指掌：“你可以发布照片、发送语音消息、点赞他人的帖子——它本质上就是你手腕上的一部迷你智能手机。”

But she's also witnessed the social pressures these devices create. "Some classmates will delete you from their friends list if you don't like their posts. It's like a threat to your friendship."

但黄蕾（音译）也目睹了这些设备带来的社交压力。她表示：“有些同学如果发现你不点赞他们的帖子，就会把你从好友列表里删掉。这就像是在威胁你们之间的友谊。”

Peace of mind

心安

These young voices offer a compelling window into the complex digital ecosystem that children's smartwatches have created across China.

这些年轻的声音为我们打开了一扇引人入胜的窗口，让我们得以看见儿童智能手表在中国各地构筑的复杂数字生态系统。

What began as a simple safety device to make it easier to contact parents has quietly evolved into full-fledged social platforms for young students, creating both new opportunities and unforeseen challenges for children, parents, and educators alike.

最初作为简易安全装置，儿童手表旨在方便联系家长，如今却悄然演变为面向年轻学生的完整社交平台，为儿童、家长和教育工作者带来了全新机遇与意想不到的挑战。

For many families, the journey with smartwatches begins with safety concerns. Zhu Yuyan, a mother of a fifth grader at a primary school in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, recounted her son's introduction to the technology.

对许多家庭而言，智能手表之旅始于安全考量。浙江省杭州市某小学五年级学生的母亲朱雨燕（音译），讲述了儿子接触智能手表的经历。

"His first watch was a birthday gift from his aunt when he was in first grade," she said. An upgrade to a more advanced model in fourth grade came at her son's request. "He wanted the same type that other children in his class had."

她说：“他第一块手表是小学一年级时姑姑送的生日礼物。”四年级时升到更高级的型号，是儿子主动要求的：“想要和班上其他孩子同款的手表。”

Like many parents, Zhu maintains clear boundaries around usage. Her son only wears it during outdoor activities or when attending interest classes, like his youth center programs. He doesn't bring it to school normally, she said.

和许多家长一样，朱女士对智能手表使用设定了明确的界限。她表示，儿子只在户外活动或参加兴趣班时使用智能手表，比如参加青年中心的课程。平时他不会把智能手表带到学校。

bypass

v./ˈbaɪ.pæs/

绕过

seasoned

adj./ˈsiː.zənd/

娴熟的