Smart Devices and Hidden Network Risks for Families
Understanding the safety risks of smart speakers, cameras, watches, and IoT devices connected to your home network.
Overview
Smart speakers, baby monitors, smart watches, connected toys, and home cameras all join your Wi-Fi network. Many of these devices collect data, record audio or video, and can be accessed remotely. Families often overlook them when setting up parental controls because they do not look like traditional internet devices. This guide explains the risks and how to manage them.
What Counts as a Smart Device
Any device that connects to the internet is a smart device. This includes obvious ones like smart speakers (Amazon Echo, Google Nest) and less obvious ones like smart watches, connected toys, baby monitors, smart doorbells, and even some fridges. Each one is a potential entry point for data collection or, in rare cases, unauthorised access to your home network.
If a device connects to your Wi-Fi, it is part of your home network and needs to be considered in your safety planning.
Risks of Smart Speakers Around Children
Smart speakers are always listening for their wake word, which means they can pick up conversations. Children may ask questions that return inappropriate results, make purchases by voice, or share personal information that is recorded and stored by the manufacturer. Most smart speakers allow you to set up voice profiles, purchase PINs, and explicit content filters — take time to configure these.
Configure purchase PINs, explicit content filters, and voice profiles on every smart speaker in your home.
Smart Watches and Location Tracking
Children's smart watches often include GPS tracking, messaging, and calling features. While location tracking can be reassuring for parents, poorly secured watches have been found to leak location data to third parties. Choose watches from reputable brands, keep firmware updated, and understand exactly who can see your child's location through the companion app.
Only use children's smart watches from reputable brands, and review who has access to your child's location data.
Securing Smart Devices on Your Network
Place smart devices on a separate network or guest network so they cannot access your main computers and phones. Change default passwords on every device, disable features you do not use (such as remote access on baby monitors), and keep firmware updated. Check the manufacturer's privacy policy to understand what data is collected and how it is used.
Put smart devices on a separate network, change default passwords, and disable features you do not need.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
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Last reviewed: 2026-03-29