What’s the best phone for kids? We have a list of 10 phones for the young ones, pre-teens and teens.
The best phones for kids aren’t like the best phones for adults. They’re more about having the bare essentials without overwhelming your child with options, compared to having the best features in an adult smartphone. That changes depending on the age of your child which is why our list breaks things down according to age group. A young child might simply need a device that they can call or text on, while teens are likely to want to be able to use apps too. Some phone manufacturers offer smartphones designed specifically for children, but most of our picks are phones that are easy to adapt for a child’s use. Our choices are based not only on parental controls but on durability, battery life, as well as affordability. While you’re thinking what to do, bear in mind that one of the best tablets for kids may be a better option for the youngest user. While, for high school teenagers, we’ve also looked at the most affordable adult smartphones too. If you’re already confused, don’t worry. Generally, for anyone but the youngest child, a phone running the latest iOS or Android 10 (or later) is a safe bet. Both operating systems have excellent parental control features that mean you can control pretty much everything if need be, while still giving your kids features they can explore safely. The Relay is a kind of GPS-enabled walkie-talkie with push-to-talk rather than the familiar calling screen. It uses 4G LTE for US-wide range and also connects to Wi-Fi networks you’ve set up in the parent app, and its battery is good for two days between charges. You can create geo-fenced areas from 50 to 200m across and be notified if your child starts to wander off, and the case is both tough and water-resistant – and no screen means no risk of a smashed display rendering your Relay redundant. Downsides? It’s only available on contract with a $9.99 monthly service charge (plus tax), and while the marketing blurb says it’s smaller than a Post-It note they mean a big Post-It: it’s two and a half inches square and half an inch deep. There are multiple Xploras, of which the Go Clip is the simplest and cheapest: it’s designed to hook onto a belt or backpack via the included carabiner hook and enable you to track your child’s location via your smartphone app. It’s designed for places such as festivals where your little ones can easily wander off, and you can set up Safety Zones that will automatically notify you if your child leaves them.
