“Tap to add friends”The “Xiao Tiancai” children’s smart watchhas become a “celebrity” among kids
However, recently, some parents have been quite troubled👇👇👇Children must buythe latest model of the watch priced at 2299 yuanIs the price of the Xiao Tiancai watch equivalent to a brand new phone?One parent of a fourth-grade student in Hangzhou complained: Their child insisted on buying the latest model of the Xiao Tiancai watch as a summer gift, which costs 2299 yuan, equivalent to the price of a brand new phone. The reason given by the child surprised the parent: there is a “despise chain” among students regarding the Xiao Tiancai…The parent felt “kidnapped”: “Does the watch need such complex features? Isn’t having more features just distracting the child?” Moreover, with so many features, the price keeps rising, “If I don’t buy it, I’m accused of depriving my child of their social circle; it’s really difficult.”
This complaint has also trended on social media.
Reporters visited the Xiao Tiancai store. The staff introduced: “We just launched this model in mid-May, and over ten units have been pre-ordered in just over half a month.” They stated that the latest model is selling very well, and many stores require pre-orders, with a wait time of about half a month to receive the product.The staff said the new model is part of Xiao Tiancai’s high-end line, priced higher than the previous Z9 model.Selling 100 million units in a yearis driven by children’s social circles
Ms. Ge bought her child the Z9 watch last year, and “this year she insisted on getting the latest model because her classmates have it.” Ms. Ge felt helpless and could only buy some clothes for her child first, using the shopping mall discount vouchers to purchase the new model for her child. She also tried to “confiscate” the watch, but soon realized that this was no different from when her parents confiscated her comic books or game consoles as a child, “Confiscating the watch is equivalent to isolating the child from her social circle, which will make her feel isolated. What parent wants to be the ‘bad guy’ in this situation?”“
Meanwhile, Ms. Jiang feels helpless about her child’s strong social needs tied to the watch: “Now she has to use the watch to call her classmates while doing homework, saying it creates a better atmosphere.” Additionally, she has noticed that when they finally have a day off to take her daughter out, her daughter is always distracted, holding onto the watch and sending dozens of friend requests just to wait for likes and replies from friends.
In 2015, the first generation of the Xiao Tiancai watch Y01 was launched, targeting the most basic safety needs, such as location tracking and calling features. Ten years later, some of its new models can achieve floor-level positioning/global positioning, tap to add friends, mobile payments, photo search, and answering calls with a snap of the fingers.
In the past year, based on data from the official Xiao Tiancai Douyin flagship store, sales have approached 100 million. According to official and third-party data, by 2021, Xiao Tiancai’s cumulative shipment exceeded 26 million units. With a population of 253 million children aged 0-14,on average, one in ten children is a user of the Xiao Tiancai watch.
Experts: Unreasonable demands need guidance
The Xiao Tiancai watch is popular among children because it opens up their own “cyber” social circle. However, parents often buy the watch for their children primarily to ensure their safety and maintain communication: Tmall’s rankings show that the best-selling and highest-rated product is the Q2A, priced at 499 yuan. This product mainly focuses on basic safety and communication needs, and compared to the new models, it seems somewhat primitive and monotonous—but perhaps parents need that monotony. Many parents in the comments section also express that practicality is the most important factor.
However, some children still feel that the Xiao Tiancai has too few features. There are even numerous tutorials online for hacking the Xiao Tiancai, with fees ranging from 2 to 150 yuan. After hacking, the Xiao Tiancai watch can also be used to browse Douyin, visit Bilibili, and play games. From the account descriptions and other works, the sellers are likely children currently using the Xiao Tiancai watch. They often can only respond to reporters’ inquiries about purchases after 7 PM due to being in class or not finishing their homework.
Liu Quan, deputy chief engineer of the China Electronic Information Industry Development Research Institute, believes that the trend of children’s smart watches becoming more like mobile phones is inevitable.
Regarding the hot sales of the Xiao Tiancai watch, Xiong Pingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, stated, in light of this situation, parents need to educate and guide their children, “Parents should prioritize their children’s safety but avoid excessive supervision and control over theirchildren. Parents should guide their children on whether there is a reasonable need to purchase such an expensive watch; if there is no sufficient reason, it is unnecessary to buy it, rather than giving in to every desire of the child, as this is not beneficial for the child’s growth.“
Does your child have a Xiao Tiancai watch?
Source: Huaxiangzi, compiled from Dongfang.com, Qianjiang Evening News, and Blue Whale Finance (Copyright belongs to the original author; if there is any infringement, please contact us promptly)