No matter what type of phone you decide to purchase for your child, consider how you plan to teach them about technology and digital media. Child psychiatrist Helen Egger, MD, tells Verywell Family, “When we reflect about when children should have personal cell phones, we must think beyond the device and consider how we are going to teach our children to use technology and consume digital media responsibly." To create our list, we looked carefully at age appropriateness, parental controls, durability, and features of each device. Adding your child to your cell plan is easy, and with our list of best cell phones for kids, so is choosing the right phone for them. Kids will love the cell phone’s fingerprint sensor for additional security and two cameras for selfies or taking pictures with friends. The phone also comes equipped with Bluetooth capabilities, so kids can jam to their favorite music on headphones or a speaker. Plus, Gabb Wireless offers families three options for cellular plans: no contract ($24.99/month), one-year contract ($19.99/month), or two-year contract ($17.99/month). Price at time of publish: $150 Parents and caregivers will love the phone’s parental controls, which allow you to set time limits as well as permission to access-approved websites, so you can ensure your child is safe online. You can also download the KidiCom Chat app and securely control the contact list, texts, voice messages, and images. Price at time of publish: $120 Don’t worry about parental controls—Apple takes care of that for you. With the iPhone SE, parents and caregivers can reap the benefits of services like Screen Time parental controls, family sharing, and “Find My,” which allows families to locate lost or stolen phones through location services. Price at time of publish: Starts at $429 The screen is colorful and bright with easy-to-use buttons, and we love that it’s water-resistant and wearable, meaning it’s less likely to be lost or damaged. It’s also very easy to set up by downloading the GizmoHub on the parent’s phone, where every facet of the watch is controlled. The GPS locator is our favorite safety feature, but the watch also has some added benefits, like a step tracker to encourage being active and the option to set it to quiet mode. With the well-thought-out safety features and cost of around $5 a month through Verizon, the GizmoWatch 2 is quite affordable. Price at time of publish: $100 Adults can view text messages and calls from their own phones, with the option of blocking incoming pictures. GPS location allows you to know where your kiddo is at any time, showing their location on a map. Plus, you can add tasks from your phone to theirs, such as a reminder to finish homework. Price at time of publish: from $199 Parents and caregivers can monitor their child’s location and activity via parental controls while children can enjoy the 13-hour battery life. It has an Android interface, so kids can browse through Google Play or stream music, too. Price at time of publish: $349 While this cell phone doesn’t have parental controls or a GPS feature, you can feel at ease knowing it doesn’t have internet, social media, or other apps. There’s also an emergency response button that connects to immediate help from nurses and doctors 24/7. Once you receive the phone, you’ll have to select a plan with Lively.com to activate it, as it does not work with any other carriers. Price at time of publish: $100 A water-repellent design keeps the cell phone safe from spills and splashes, while fingerprint recognition provides additional security. The Moto G Power is compatible with most major carriers, such as AT&T and Verizon, so you can add it to your current family plan. Parental controls allow you to access your child’s apps, daily usage limits, and more. Price at time of publish: $250 We also spoke with child psychiatrist Helen Egger, MD, to find out what to look for in cell phones for kids, as well as how to allow them screen time in a healthy way. We chose cell phones that are easy to use for the recommended age groups, giving parents and caregivers peace of mind, and allowing kids a little bit of safe (and fun) digital freedom.
What to Look for in a Cell Phone for Your Child
Age-Appropriate Features and Access
Just like adults, every kid has their own unique needs when it comes to a cell phone, and a lot of it has to do with their age. For instance, if you’re purchasing your child’s first mobile phone to use in emergencies, then it doesn’t need to have any over-complicated features that they’re not able to utilize yet. “A child does not need to have an internet-enabled cell phone to be able to call you,” Dr. Egger tells VeryWell Family. “They can use a flip phone or other similar devices." Keep your child’s age in mind when shopping for their phone. Consider things like storage space, capabilities, accessibility, and parental controls, as well as how easy it will be for your child to use on their own. If you’re purchasing the phone for an older child or teenager, they may need a device with more features, memory, and an up-to-date operating system, such as the Apple iPhone SE, so that there are no issues with installing and running apps for school.
Parental Control Options
Take a look at what kind of parental control options are available, and consider whether or not they are appropriate for your child (do you need a ton or just a few?). Some phones allow parents to track their kids’ calls and texts, others offer GPS tracking, and most are configured to gather usage data without any special app installation. “You can monitor your child’s time on the phone in the phone settings [for most devices],” says Dr. Egger. This is especially important for parents who not only want to monitor what their child is doing on the phone but also how much screen time they’re getting on a daily basis. You may also want to consider whether or not the phone is compatible with the technology you use at home. For example, if you both have an Android phone, then you may be able to access controls and features in their phone remotely through your own cell phone. You can usually sync up calendars, share accounts, and pair your devices in other ways that can be more difficult if you’re using different platforms.
Durability
No matter their age, kids aren’t exactly notorious for taking extra care of their devices, so don’t get them a phone that’s fragile. You’ll likely get a protective case for the phone, but it still needs to be durable enough to survive being dropped, sat on, or stored under heavy textbooks. If the phone has buttons, look at how they’re designed and consider whether or not they will still work if lint and food crumbs get on them from being carried in pockets and backpacks. Dr. Egger encourages caregivers to hold their children partly responsible for taking care of the phone. “Before you buy a phone for your child, talk about the ground rules,” she says, “talk about the cost of the phone … What happens if the phone is lost or broken? Will it be replaced? Who will pay for it?”
Compatibility
One of the downsides to some kids’ cell phones is that they aren’t compatible with your current phone provider. For example, if you purchase the Gabb Phone Z2, you’ll also have to purchase one of the company’s three phone plans. However, the company offers a no-contract cell phone plan, so you can cancel at any time. Some cell phones, like the Moto G Power 2022, can be added to your current family plan. Whether your cell phone provider is Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile, if you get a phone that’s compatible with it, you’ll only have to worry about one bill each month.
Why Trust Verywell Family
Deanna McCormack is a freelance writer who focuses on family, lifestyle, and commerce. She regularly tests and researches products for young children and parenthood and stays up to date with the latest technology for the home. However, parents should also keep some of the potential risks in mind, such as cell phone addiction, cyberbullying, and possible interference with interpersonal skill development. The most important thing a parent should consider is whether or not they think their child can safely use a cell phone (with capabilities beyond simply calling for emergencies). Your child should have a firm understanding of the weight of what they post online and how it can affect others. They should also be willing to follow family rules and give you passwords to access their social media accounts. It’s unlikely your child will be able to regulate screen time usage on their own, so they need to be responsible enough to turn off the phone when they’re told they’ve reached their limit for the day. Basically, look for behaviors that indicate that your child is mature enough to use the phone responsibly. Additional reporting to this story by Ashley Ziegler and Katrina Cossey. Ashley Ziegler is a freelance writer who covers lifestyle, home, parenting, and commerce content for a variety of platforms. She’s a wife to a public school administrator and mom to 1-year-old and 3-year-old daughters. In addition to regularly scouring the internet to find the best products for herself, Ashley spends multiple hours a week researching, comparing, and writing about products specifically for kids and families. Katrina Cossey is a commerce writer who covers an array of topics, including parenting, pregnancy, lifestyle, and family. To determine which phones made the cut, Katrina studied the features of dozens of cell phones to narrow the down choices for parents and caregivers buying a cell phone for kids. She spoke with cell phone customer service representatives to determine the important details, such as phone plans, parental controls, battery life, storage, and more features.
