A Safer Alternative to Social Media- myFirst Circle (AD)

Parenting nowadays is a minefield. Not only do you have to worry about IRL stranger danger, road safety and playground politics but you also have to be aware of the very real risks of the online world, including social media which children are being exposed to at a younger and younger age.

Just days ago MPs rejected a call for an Australian-style ban on social media for under 16's and frankly I'm not sure even if it had passed how on earth would you police it? Our youngsters are on the whole far more tech-savvy than their parents and teachers and would easily outsmart most obstacles put in their way.

It astounds me what kind of content comes before me during even a short scroll on Tiktok. It seems pausing for a nanosecond on a video floods your feed with every weirder content. Who wouldn't want to protect their children from videos which can leap from cute kittens to something horrific and/or inappropriate in minutes? And don't even start me on AI which means you dont even know if what you are looking at is real!

Thankfully the heroes from the company who came up with the MyFirst Fone smartwatches and cameras have added a fabulous new benefit to their excellent range, a safe social circle, myFirst Circle where children can share updates, photos and voice messages with family and close friends in a controlled envirnment. 

Parents/carers can create private network groups in the myFirst Circle app and name them "family", "besties" or "friends" or whatever they choose, and decide who can see each post. Only contacts approved by parents can interact with a child - this closed system helps protect children from unsolicited content and contacts.

The platform works with a range of myFirst wearable devices and creative tech products and an app trusted contacts can download to communicate with the wearer.

Compatible products include:

• myFirst Fone S4 – A feature-rich smartwatch with GPS tracking, messaging, voice and video calls, and tools that help encourage healthy routines.
• myFirst Fone R2 – A lightweight smartwatch designed for children aged roughly 5–12, offering calling, camera functions, music, and GPS connectivity through myFirst Circle.
• myFirst Fone S3+ – A smartwatch with eSIM connectivity, messaging, and SOS emergency alerts for parents.
• myFirst Fone M1 – An entry-level smartwatch focused on simple communication and real-time safety monitoring.
• myFirst Fone S3c – A 4G smartwatch alternative to a smartphone with voice and video calling, location tracking, and camera features.
• myFirst Camera 50 – A kid-friendly digital camera that allows children to capture photos and share them safely with family and friends through myFirst Circle.

The addition of the myFirst Camera 50 expands the Circle ecosystem beyond wearables, allowing kids to capture and safely share their creativity while keeping their content within a trusted family network.

Built-In Safety Features for Peace of Mind

myFirst Circle and its connected devices include several safety-focused features designed specifically for families:

• Parent-Approved Contacts – Children can only communicate with trusted contacts selected by parents.
• Real-Time GPS Tracking – Parents can see their child’s location through the app.
• Safe Zones (Geo-Fencing) – Parents receive alerts when children enter or leave designated areas such as school or home.
• One-Touch SOS Alerts – Children can instantly notify parents during emergencies.
• Secure Messaging and Calls – Communication takes place within a closed family network.

Many of the smartwatch devices also restrict third-party apps to prevent access to open social networks or unknown contacts, reinforcing a safe digital environment for children.

I cannot tell you how reassuring it can be to use products from this range. My youngest who is autistic used to run from situations she felt anxious or overwhelmed by and as her school at the time was a building site both we and school staff members were very worried about her safety. 

She agreed to wear a (gifted) myFirst smartwatch with a button which notified me if she left a pre-designated area via geofencing and opened a channel directly to a nominated number (mine) via a "magic button" and also had GPS tracking. That meant I could calm her down whilst also enabling staff to know where she had escaped to - on one occasion under a car in a busy carpark.

We updated her to a newer, more grown up model, the myFirst fone R2 smartwatch (gifted) which was great when we started going to home education events. Even though I generally had to be in the room with her it meant she could discreetly communicate with me without embarassment.

She's now 17 and she uses a tag with an app and emergency button and a standard smartphone to help her keep safe now but the tech and this wonderful new service, myFirst Circle, is perfect for my friend's daughter Millie who is a few years younger and has a complex disability. She is non verbal but bright and social and I think this is the perfect system for her.

Millie has just started having sleepovers at her specialist school. She loves spending time with her friends who share her room at school and I know she will adore being able to communicate with her family while shes' away from home.

She can take pictures of her adventures with the myFirst Camera 50 and share what she's up to and how she's feeling using the camera and a new myFirst Fone R2 in a cute Cotton Candy colour-way with its customisable magic button. 

Both the smartwatch and camera were gifted to me for the purpose of this article and I will be donating them to Millie.

Millie communicates through signing and via her tablet and I know her family will love this extra way of talking to her. She will be able to share what she's doing, thinking and feeling just like any teenager of her age but in a safe circle where no-one can scare or hurt her or influence her in a negative way.  She will also love to hear and see updates from her friends, siblings, parents and wider family making sure she knows she is loved even when she's not at home.

So whether you have a child or a vulnerable young person it is worth looking at the myFirst range, especially now they have myFirst Circle to make keeping in touch even easier. I honestly credit the myFirst smartwatches with keeping my child safe and my anxiety about her much less - the smartwatch she wore was a literal lifeline when we needed it most.

Disclaimer: I received the myFirst Fone R2 smartwatch and myFirst Camera 50 free for the purpose of this honest review. Millie's parents gave me consent to share details about her in this article.