Germany bans smart children’s smartwatches

The Federal Network Agency in Germany has announced a ban on domestic sales on children’s smartwatches that have a listening function, while also taking action against some online sellers. The smart watches in case have an app which allow parents to listen unnoticed to the child’s environment (including teachers in the classroom), and this is considered by the agency to be ‘an unauthorised transmitting system’ and covert surveillance which is illegal in Germany. The agency has asked parents to destroy the devices they have bought, and also instructed schools to pay attention whether children have such smart watches and to ask for their destruction.