Fitbit makes a ton of fitness trackers but not all of them are suitable for children. It is easy to get overwhelmed and end up getting the wrong one.
With a primary focus on health and fitness, Fitbit has earned its place in the heart of many fitness enthusiasts. It is not easy to establish that kind of trust and maintain it years after years.
If you are one of those committed users and now want to gift your child with an appropriate smart device, we want to make your search a little easier.
We have categorized the best Fitbit for kids by age and key features such as HR, built-in GPS, full-fledged smartwatch features and so. Feel free to jump to the section that is relevant for you!
But wait! You also need to know why this extra due diligence is required in the first place. This is IMPORTANT.
1. Why Picking the Right Fitbit is Important for Your Kid
You should not pick just any activity tracker off the market. The first consideration is age. The learning curve and the required intuition level are different from device to device. A device that is certified for a 10-year-old will be a lot harder for a 5-year-old to use.
Secondly, as a parent, you are responsible for making sure your kid is not overusing or misusing the device. You need a parental control system that caps certain features and presents you with a report at the end of the day. Not all fitness trackers have it.
And the last point is, devices that are intended for kids come with educational apps that help children physically and mentally. They are optimized in a way that you don’t have to force them. They will pick it up on their own because it’s fun.
2. Kids Fitbit Comparison by Age and Features
For those who are running short in time, here is a table that summarizes everything that we talked about later in this blog post.
Please note that the ranking here can be subjective. We followed our own set of criteria to select products. Go ahead and read the respected product section below to understand why we chose that.
| Group | Best Product | Battery Life | Swimproof | Heart Rate Tracking | Built-In GPS Tracking | Parental Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-9 Year Old | Fitbit Ace 3 | 8 days | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| 10-12 Year Old | Fitbit Inspire 2 | 10 days | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 13+ Year Old (Teenager) | Fitbit Versa 3 | 6 days | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 13+ Year Old (Girls) | Fitbit Luxe | 5 days | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| With GPS (13+) | Fitbit Charge 4 | 7 days | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Advanced (13+) | Fitbit Sense | 6 days | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Under 6 Year Old | None (Check Alternatives) | – | – | – | – | – |
3. For 6-9 Year Old: Fitbit Ace 3
Fitbit Ace 3 is the only product from Fitbit that has an active parental control system in place. Meaning it uses a family account governed by guardians. A kid account can be assigned to multiple guardians.
There are two views for this device on the connected app. The first one is the parent view where you as a parent can see their activity data, sleep patterns, and so on. The other view is the kid view where you can show your kid how well he is doing.
In General, Ace 3 has a kid-friendly design with water resistance of up to 50m making it just as good for swimming. The animated clocks, full-screen achievement badges, and sleep reminders will set them on the path of a healthy lifestyle.
4. For 10-12 Year Old: Fitbit Inspire 2
Fitbit Inspire 2 is the smallest Fitbit in the lineup after Ace 3. We think the age group of 10 to 12 is a bit more mature and the Ace 3 can fall short in terms of aesthetic and features.
We don’t want to drive you in the wrong direction. Inspire 2 is not a kids fitness tracker and the official recommended age for this device is 13. But we are not ashamed to recommend this for younger kids. It is just as small as the Ace 3, but with a more mature feature set.
On the features side, it has 24/7 heart rate tracking, activity tracking, sleep quality tracking, and an improved 10 days of battery life. It comes with a comfortable silicone band and is swimproof up to 50 meters of water.
If you happened to buy this for your child who is under 13, you will also have to create an account for them probably with a false birth date since the Fitbit account has a minimum age requirement of 13. If it bothers you, you should settle down with Ace 3 until they are 13.
5. For 13+ Year Old (Teenager): Fitbit Versa 3
For the age 13 and above, it gets a lot easier since there are no more age safety requirements. Versa 3 is the starter-level smartwatch from Fitbit that comes with a bunch of interesting health features.
Besides all the regular activity tracking features (steps, calories, etc.), there is also a built-in GPS tracker in this device which results in more accurate tracking data. This also means you won’t need to keep a phone close for the GPS to work.
It comes with a SpO2 level tracker which analyzes the percentage of blood containing Oxygen using red and infrared light sensors. The heart rate sensor is a little improved on this smartwatch through its PurePulse 2.0 technology, a multi-path analyzing system for accuracy.
All these features might feel a bit too much for a teenager, but this is the age when they are able to process a lot and use that learning later in their lives. Most of these features are health-oriented so there is not much to be worried about.
6. For Teenage Girls (13+): Fitbit Luxe
Fitbit Luxe is an activity tracker that looks like a fashionable bracelet. It is recommended for teenagers, especially girls, who would appreciate a device that complements the wardrobe.
The body of this device is made of stainless steel and the band is of silicone. However, you also have the option to opt for a gorjana parker link gold bracelet, if that’s what you are looking for.
It comes with menstrual health tracking where one can log periods and track ovulation. It can prove really useful for young girls who just got introduced to the menstrual cycle.
There is also a stress management system on this device which keeps track of stress level in the background and offers guided training whenever needed.
7. With Built-in GPS (13+): Fitbit Charge 4
Charge 4 is Fitbit’s top-tier fitness tracker with all the modern health tracking features you can name from Fitbit. The only thing it doesn’t have is a large smartwatch-like display.
The lack of a larger display does play in the favor of customers. They managed to keep the price low, even though the features are comparable to their full-fledged smartwatches.
It would be a good purchase for your teenage kid who is into sports. There are 20 different modes of sports where you can set custom achievable goals. Other features like SpO2 level tracking, stress tracking, menstrual cycle tracking are just as well available on this device.
8. Most Advanced (13+): Fitbit Sense
Fitbit Sense is the newest product in their lineup and they call it their most advanced smartwatch with a primary focus on fitness. 13 is the minimum recommended age for this device so it is a safe purchase for your teenage boy or girl.
The FDA approved its electrocardiogram (ECG) feature which scans the heart for rhythmic irregularity. That is probably unnecessary for kids who have a young heart. There is anyway an age requirement in place for this feature, which is 22.
Alongside the other general sensors, Fitbit put a temperature sensor in it which can track the skin and the core temperature of the body and help you find trends. It can be a useful substitute for your analog thermometer.
If you have been longing to give your child a smartwatch but always had a second thought, Fitbit has less distracting/harmful features compared to smartwatches from other brands.
9. What About Children Under 6 Year Old?
If you have been looking for this information, Fitbit does not have any fitness tracker or smartwatch that is intended for kids under 6. It starts at 6.
But if you are a little flexible with the brand and don’t mind getting something other than Fitbit, there are a couple of good options. You would be glad to know they are certified for underaged kids and there is no such age restriction in place for creating accounts in most of those smartwatches.
- For 3 Year Old: iTouch Playzoom 2
- For 4 Year Old: VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX2 (Our Review)
- For 5 Year Old: Bausian Kids Smartwatch
This data comes from our other post on various smartwatch options for kids which includes not only Fitbit but also a handful of others including their short reviews.
I recommended that even if you pick a Fitbit, go to that post and compare it against some of them. You could wind up with a more suitable smartwatch or fitness tracker for your kid!
