NetEase Youdao and 360 may be making arrangements for the launch of new children's smartwatch products.

To build new interactions and new experiences.

New stories are still unfolding in the mature market.

On one hand, the trending topic "Imoo's closed social ecosystem forces parents to make purchases" immediately topped the hot search list; on the other hand, the market is seeing new participants and new product forms.

Duozhi Insights found that NetEase Youdao has quietly launched the "Youdao Sun Tree" app.

According to the information on the app store:

"The Youdao Sun Tree APP is an application specially designed for child safety, which is intended to be used in conjunction with the Sun Tree watch to provide parents with a comprehensive protection solution."

"Through this application, parents can monitor their children's safety and location in real time to ensure they are protected when they are out."

(Image source: Youdao Sun Tree on App Store)

As for the specific functions:

- Phone and voice: supports making calls and video calls, and can block incoming calls from strangers.

- Real-time positioning: provides real-time location tracking of the watch.

- Chat: supports real-time voice and text messaging.

- Class mode: when this function is enabled, the watch can only display the time and send SOS signals.

- Geofence protection: set up a geofence, and parents will receive an instant notification once the child leaves the preset area.

- Friend-making function: supports "tap to make friends" between watches.

(Image source: Youdao Sun Tree on App Store)

According to the app information, the official specially emphasized that, "Through close integration with the Sun Tree watch, the Youdao Sun Tree APP provides a safe and convenient communication platform for parents and children."

Although the Sun Tree APP has repeatedly emphasized its compatibility with the Sun Tree children's watch in the introduction, it has not yet been confirmed whether this children's watch is independently developed by Youdao or a product from external cooperation.

Compared with Youdao, 360's new children's watch product has been presented in the patent drawings.

Shenzhen 360 Smart Life Technology Co., Ltd. has successively published a number of patent contents related to children's watches in August 2026.

Two of the patented appearances are quite different from 360's past children's watch forms.

Let's take a brief look at the two products:

Patent 1, a horizontal arc-shaped main unit.

The outer ring of the product has two to three layers of progressive track-shaped wrapping edges; a recessed rounded rectangular area is reserved in the center of the front, which may be a screen or a decoration/display panel, and the small dot on the top may be the opening for the camera, indicator light or sensor.

Two vertical long strip buttons are visible on the right side, and there are oblong openings and raised structures near the back/middle frame. Combined with the lanyard hole, buckle position and part outline in another perspective, the overall style is presented as "the main unit can be taken out, worn and hung".

Patent 2, with a style more suitable for younger children.

The product has an oval body, small round feet, wings spreading out on both sides, and a horizontal long strip opening on the top of the head, which looks like a camera, receiver/speaker area or flip structure.

A square rounded dial is embedded in the center of the front, and the outer ring of the dial is added with a thickened border to form a "screen within screen" hierarchy. The two red dots on the top of the head look like eyes, as well as physical buttons or ambient lights; the bottom is rounded, and the tail/feet have a supporting feel.

Its core advantage is obviously not the parameters, but to reduce children's resistance to electronic devices. With a wearable soothing toy/companion image, it is naturally suitable for children from kindergarten to lower grades of primary school.

Whether it is 360's expansion of new forms or Youdao's attempt at children's watch applications, essentially, the competition around children's attention, parents' anxiety and business entry points is far from reaching the end.

Who wouldn't want to become the next "Imoo"?

"With Imoo, you have good friends" — by capturing the hearts of children, you capture the hearts of parents. Imoo is well aware of the logic behind this: through the extremely simple friend-making behavior of "tap to connect", combined with a closed-loop social rule, Imoo's design of social functions has formally formed a mutually exclusive competition among similar products on the market.

Apart from the "exclusive" friend-making function, Imoo allows children in its ecosystem to post moments, like each other's posts, send each other gold coins, and share step counts: while increasing user stickiness, it can achieve rapid fission and generate hot topics. Once more children around use Imoo, it will drive more classmates to switch to Imoo: it is children's desire for social interaction that makes Imoo a success; Imoo's design for this demand also separates it from all other brands...

"But it is very difficult to create a product with social barriers like Imoo, most of our practitioners think it is almost impossible", a children's watch manufacturer once told Duozhi, "The most direct way to break the barrier brought by Imoo's social circle is to build new interactions, new experiences, or new forms."

(Image source: Imoo)

Judging only from these two new attempts this time, Youdao Sun Tree is testing the family protection entry point, while 360's patent drawings are exploring changes in product forms; one makes up for the trust, the other makes up for the willingness to wear.

The old market of children's watches has not disappeared, but has shifted from "who is more like Imoo" to "who can find new opportunities outside of Imoo".

On January 1, 2027, GB 46859-2025 "Safety Technical Requirements for Children's Watches" will be fully implemented, and the competition rules for children's watches will also be rewritten: cross-brand exchange of phone numbers and nicknames is mandatory, entertainment applications such as games, short videos, and live broadcasts are restricted from pre-installation, payment and usage duration are under parental control, and privacy permissions are tightened by default.

For new players, this is both an opportunity — safety, younger age groups, and form innovation have clearer legitimacy; and a threshold — they can't only focus on form stories, but also must deliver compliant answers covering content, payment, privacy and anti-addiction at the same time.

This article is from the WeChat Official Account "Duozhi Wang" (ID: duozhiwang), written by Feng Wei, authorized for release by 36Kr.