The First Device for Children Becomes Their First "Influencer Training Ground" - How Chinese Smartwatches Reflect the Future of a Society Driven by the Need for Approval

The "Like Disparity Society" Emerging Among Smartwatches

—The Other SNS War Reflected in Chinese Wearables for Kids

1. The "Desire for Approval Game" Starting from Children's Wrists

In China, the first internet-connected device for children is increasingly becoming a "smartwatch" rather than a smartphone. Particularly, the brand "Little Genius" is overwhelmingly popular, reportedly holding about half of the global market share in the children's smartwatch market.WIRED

The reason parents buy this watch is simple. They can communicate via phone and video calls, and instantly know their child's location through GPS. In many cases, schools that ban smartphones allow watches.

However, what captivates children is not the safety features. It's the world of "likes" and rankings within the watch—a child-exclusive SNS space that integrates a mini version of Instagram, games, and electronic money.WIRED

There, they chat with friends, post short videos, and earn points to buy clothes for their avatars. Most importantly, they focus on how many "likes" their profile receives. The numbers become a status symbol, even influencing classroom hierarchies.

2. "Experience Points" and "Rank" Determine Friendships

In the world of Little Genius, almost every action is point-based. Exercise counts steps and jumps, and completing missions increases experience points. The higher the level, the more "likes" one can send in a day, making friends with high contributions more valuable.WIRED

However, the friend limit is 150. Thus, children compete for "high-level friend slots."

• High-level children:

  • Can send 20 likes per day to one person

  • Prioritize friends who return many likes

• Low-level children:

  • Can only send 5 likes per day to one person

  • Risk being unfriended if deemed "useless"

This structure is precisely a microcosm of social gaming guilds and influencer economies. Underneath the surface, negotiations occur over mutual "like" follows.

An article in Wired describes an 18-year-old woman who was once shy about making friends but became a "class favorite" by amassing a million likes after joining the Little Genius community in middle school. She dated several people she met there, but broke up with some who demanded explicit photos.WIRED

It becomes clear that "likes" can be both an entry point for communication and a door to precarious relationships.

3. Tricks to "Boost" Engagement and the Bot Market

Naturally, "strategies" emerge in such numerical competitions.

On "RED," known as the Chinese version of Instagram, numerous how-to videos are posted on bypassing the like limits of Little Genius. Titles like "World's First! Infinite Like Technique" and "How to Break Through Limits with the New Home Screen" resemble miniature growth hack courses for adults.WIRED

Furthermore, the following businesses have emerged among popular users:

• Selling high-rank accounts after extensive use

• Selling "bots" that automatically send likes

• "Proxy services" that operate accounts during classes

A 17-year-old girl, known as a "big shot" with over 2 million likes, reportedly earned about $8,000 (approximately 1.2 million yen) in a year by selling old accounts and bots. However, she eventually left the platform, exhausted by fights and cyberbullying with other popular users.WIRED

We glimpse the reality where toys intended for children have inadvertently become an "introduction to the follower economy."

4. Parents' Dilemma: When "For Safety" Becomes a "Device of Dependency"

Parents do not fully understand this system.

Lin, a 48-year-old mother living in Beijing, hesitated to purchase the watch for her nearsighted daughter, not wanting her to look at screens for long periods. However, as her friends began acquiring Little Genius watches, her daughter cried about being "left out," leading Lin to buy one for her 8th birthday.WIRED

Her premonition was correct. Her daughter now wakes up in the morning searching for the watch, changes her avatar's clothes, sends likes to friends, and jumps rope to earn points. It's the same behavior adults exhibit when reaching for their smartphones in bed, repeated by a child under nine.

Lin limits usage time, but her daughter finds calls from her parents annoying and even hangs up, saying, "I'm playing now, don't call!" Ironically, the watch given for safety ends up hindering parent-child communication.WIRED

5. Government and Experts Begin Sounding the Alarm

In response to this situation, the Chinese Children's Safety Emergency Response (CCSER) issued a warning in September 2025 about the risks of Little Genius watches. They highlighted issues such as dangerous encounters, fraud, excessive spending, and addiction, urging parents to be cautious.WIRED

The government has also started taking action. National safety standards for children's smartwatches are being developed, with considerations for content regulation, spending limits, and time restrictions.WIRED

This movement aligns with China's increasing regulations on gaming time and online streaming. However, watches, perceived more as "toys" than smartphones, have been an overlooked "blind spot."KrASIA

6. Reactions on SNS:

Surprise and Déjà Vu Over "Children Raised by Tech"

After Wired's article was published, various reactions spread on overseas SNS.WIRED

• On Reddit, voices of anger emerged, such as "In the end, children are just caught up in the 'like economy' created by adults" and "We shouldn't leave rule-making to tech companies."

• On X (formerly Twitter), comments like "It seems like a story about China, but teens in any country are bound by numbers" and "A similar world could easily be created with a children's Apple Watch" pointed out that it's not just someone else's problem.

• In Chinese SNS, reports highlight posts from the parent generation expressing dilemmas like "I bought it for safety, but it's a breeding ground for addiction" and "If I don't let them have it, they'll fall out of the friend circle."#SixthTone

Some opinions suggested that "if adults impose strict rules on children's worlds, it might go underground and become more dangerous," and that "platforms should redesign for 'play' rather than 'performance.'"

Observing the SNS discussions, it becomes clear that this issue is not merely a "unique case in China" but part of a larger question involving parents, children, and platform operators worldwide.

7. Why is the "Gamification of Friendship" Dangerous?

From a psychological perspective, the Little Genius system combines the following three elements:

1. Social Comparison
   The number of likes and ranks constantly show one's position in the class.

2. Visualized Rewards
   Everything, from likes to badges and avatar items, is quantified and itemized.

3. Variable Ratio Rewards (Slot Machine Type)
   It's unpredictable which posts will go viral. When numbers suddenly spike, the brain is strongly reinforced.

These are familiar designs in adult SNS and social games, but when applied directly to children whose self-control is still developing, they can easily lead to dependency and inflated desires for approval.

Moreover, the problem is that "friendship" is treated as a game resource.

• Friends with fewer numbers are discarded as "weak cards."

• "Transactional relationships" emerge solely for exchanging likes.

• Online popularity leads to offline bullying or isolation.

Experts quoted by Wired describe the Little Genius world as "the commodification of friendship," expressing concern that children's relationships are becoming overly transactional.WIRED

8. Will Japan Also Become a "Watch-Based Society"?

In Japan, children's smartwatches are not yet as widespread as in China, but similar trends are likely to occur.

• Many schools prohibit smartphones.

• With more dual-income families, there's a strong need to "know where the child is."

• Children are becoming accustomed to cashless payments and point services.

With these conditions in place, there is fertile ground for watch-type devices marketed as "safe" and "a bit of fun" to spread rapidly. In fact, domestic and international manufacturers see the kids' smartwatch market as a growth area, continuously introducing models with features like GPS, monitoring cameras, and educational apps.##HTML_TAG