Most kids’ smartwatches promise peace of mind. The myFirst Fone S4 goes further by shaping how kids communicate, build habits, and stay connected—without opening the door to the wider internet.
After spending time with the myFirst Fone S4, it’s clear this isn’t just a tracker strapped to a child’s wrist. It’s a tightly controlled ecosystem designed for children aged six to ten, combining accurate location tracking, a private social network, and habit-building tools that grow with your child. Rather than overwhelming kids with features, the S4 focuses on structure, safety, and routines—three things most parents actually care about.
Designed For Real-World Parenting
The biggest strength of the myFirst Fone S4 is that its features feel intentional. This is not a downsized adult smartwatch. There’s no app store, no open web access, and no exposure to unmoderated messaging platforms. Every interaction is routed through myFirst Circle, a parent-controlled environment that decides who your child can contact and how they communicate.
That design choice shows up everywhere. Parents can enable or restrict calls and chats during school hours while keeping SOS and location tracking active. Safety features like automatic call connection after repeated missed calls feel practical rather than intrusive. The setup process is guided and logical, and while parents who skip steps may need a bit of trial and error, the controls are ultimately straightforward.
Here’s a closer look at the watch:
Tracking That Actually Works
Location tracking is one area where the Fone S4 feels closer to a phone than a toy. It uses dual-band GPS (L1 and L5), paired with an integrated eSIM that includes roaming in many popular destinations. In everyday use, tracking is precise enough to narrow a child’s location down to roughly the correct side of the street, even in dense, concrete-heavy environments.
Parents can view real-time location, check past journeys, and set schedules for monitoring movement. In a place like Singapore, this might feel like overkill. On family trips, however, the combination of roaming support and reliable GPS could be genuinely reassuring, especially in unfamiliar cities.
Simple Hardware, Thoughtful Choices
The Fone S4 is available in 2 colours – Cotton Candy and Space Blue. You also have the option to customize the watch further with cute knit straps.
The hardware doesn’t try to impress with specs alone, but it covers the essentials well. The always-on 1.65-inch AMOLED display is bright and colorful, adding polish you don’t always see in kids’ wearables.
The watch feels responsive, menus are easy to navigate, and children can find what they need without digging through endless submenus.
The 5MP front camera is basic but usable. It handles selfies and video calls competently, with support for group video calls of up to eight participants within a child’s approved circle. It’s not meant to replace a smartphone camera, but it does exactly what it needs to do without encouraging constant screen use.
Battery life is serviceable rather than impressive. With moderate use, the watch comfortably lasts through a school day. The always-on display does take a small toll, but given that daily charging is expected anyway, it doesn’t feel like a deal-breaker.
Guardrails, Not Walls
What truly sets the Fone S4 apart is its private social platform. myFirst Circle functions like a simplified, locked-down version of social media—think familiar posting and messaging mechanics, but only with approved friends and family. Parents vet every connection, giving kids room to learn social interaction without exposure to the wider internet.
On top of that, the S4 introduces a gamified reward system. Children earn points for completing tasks or engaging in positive activities, which can be exchanged for virtual items like stickers. Parents can also tie those points to real-world rewards if they choose. The interface isn’t flashy, but it does its job: encouraging consistency and participation.
Custom task creation is where this system becomes genuinely useful. Parents can set goals that reinforce daily routines and good habits, turning the watch into more than a communication device.
magiCode: A Clever Idea That’s Still Finding Its Feet
One of the more experimental features is magiCode, which allows preset messages to be sent using vibration patterns. In theory, it enables quiet, screen-free communication—useful for subtle cues like “wrap up soon.”
In practice, the vibrations can feel too similar to one another, making complex patterns harder to distinguish. Keeping codes simple helps, but for now, magiCode feels more like a promising concept than a must-use feature.
Verdict: Structure Over Specs
The myFirst Fone S4 isn’t trying to win a spec race. Instead, it delivers something more valuable: a clear purpose. It keeps kids reachable, teaches them how to communicate safely, and helps parents introduce routines without handing over a full smartphone too early.
Battery life could use more breathing room, and some features—like magiCode—still feel experimental. Even so, the S4 stands out as one of the most thoughtfully designed kids’ smartwatches available. For parents who want safety, structure, and room for their child to grow, it’s a compelling option that understands what parenting actually looks like.
