But we understand, the decision to give your child a phone can be complicated. When are they old enough? What kind of phone should you buy? Are there kid-specific plans? And what about parental controls? These questions can be overwhelming, but we can help. Also: Want a tablet for your kid? Our picks aren’t just for entertainment My wife and I have gifted two out of our three children a phone when they reached a certain age. We wanted a way to contact with them at school, during sports practices, and after hours when they’re at a friend’s house. Also: What are the best smartwatches for kids? Of course, not all phones are built equally, and you may have certain features in mind for your kid’s phone. I rounded up five of my top picks for kid-friendly phones. Actually, I included four phones and one smartwatch – keep reading to find out why. Apple’s iPhone lineup spans a wide range of models at varying prices. The most inexpensive iPhone is the iPhone SE, which starts at $429. Apple revamped the iPhone SE in 2022 with the same processor as the more expensive iPhone 13 lineup. The end result is an iPhone 13-like experience in a phone that’s half the price. The phone features a 4.7-inch display and Touch ID home button that your child can use to secure their iPhone with a fingerprint. The rear camera takes photos that are nearly as clear and crisp as higher-end iPhones, while the front camera provides a solid FaceTime experience. In addition to excellent hardware at a reasonable price, you’re also getting access to Screen Time parental controls, Find My, Family Sharing and the rest of Apple’s software services. For a family that’s heavily invested in Apple products, the iPhone SE is a great starter phone for kids. Read the review:iPhone SE review The Moto G Pure is an incredibly affordable phone that offers a basic experience. It’s often on sale from the retail price of $110, which makes it a good starter phone for children learning how to take care of a device for the first time. In fact, both of my kids started with a Moto G model in order to prove they could take care of a phone without breaking, losing, or leaving it somewhere it could be stolen. The Moto G Pure has a decent camera setup, 3.5mm headphone jack, large battery (helpful for kids who love playing games), and large display, However, there are two potential downsides to the G Pure: Storage and speed. With 32GB of internal storage, you’ll want to add a 512GB microSD card to make room for pictures, videos, apps and games. Performance will be slower than what you’d find on an iPhone and other phones on this list, but for a child’s first phone, it’s totally okay. Samsung isn’t known for low-end smartphones. But since LG recently exited the smartphone business, Samsung has begun to improve and iterate its entry-level phones. Check out: The 5 best Samsung phones The Samsung Galaxy A32 5G looks and works just like a high-end Galaxy S22, but it only costs $205. It also features a 5,000 mAh battery, which is powerful enough to survive a full day of use for most people (even kids). Plus, the 48-megapixel camera and rear-facing cameras are solid. With only 64GB of internal storage, you’ll want to add more using the built-in microSD card slot that allows up to 1TB of additional storage. Even though the Apple Watch SE isn’t a phone, if you buy the cellular model and use Apple’s Family Setup feature. That way, you can turn the Apple Watch SE into a smartphone that your child wears on their wrist. The cellular model starts at $249 for the 40mm version. My youngest child has an Apple Watch SE instead of a phone, and we use the watch to text back and forth while he’s at school. Plus, we can view his current location and call him when we need to chat while he’s at a friend’s house. Of course, he can contact us via text or call whenever needed, too. Check out: The 5 best Apple watch models There’s a School Time feature that makes it easy to block all apps during school hours to ensure your child won’t get distracted. (However, if they urgently need to contact you, they can bypass it – a feature that’s tracked, so you can make sure they aren’t abusing it.) Also, you need to be an iPhone user if you want your child to use an Apple Watch. The Google Pixel 6a is one of the most secure phones you can buy for your child. The Google Tensor processor’s security core works with the Titan M2 security chip to make the phone resistant to hacking, tracking, and spying. See: The 4 best Google Pixel phones It also uses a fingerprint reader to unlock, so only you, your child, and authorized users can access the phone for calls and texts. The phone is also IP67 rated for water and dust resistance, which means a little rain won’t ruin it. With a 24-hour battery life and quick-charging feature, you can stay in touch with your kid all day. All five of these picks are something I would (and have) trust(ed) my kids to take care of. The price of the Moto G Pure, for example, is fantastic for a young child needing their first phone (or if you just aren’t sure your kid can handle it responsibly). After a few months of proving themselves, or however long it takes, you can upgrade their phone to another pick on this list, or even a more expensive option. Also: The 5 best parental control apps Both options offer you control to schedule when the phone can and can’t be used, which apps can be installed, and even who the child can talk to. If you opt to add a line to your account, most carriers allow you to mix and match plans. For example, you can have your number on a plan that allows unlimited data usage at full speed, and then give your child a plan that forfeits data speed when the network is busy. It saves you money while still giving your child access to everything they need a phone to do. Google Family Link offers the same functionality, or you can add your child to Google Maps’ Location Sharing feature. Did you lose a device? Here’s how to track it As for Android devices, well, you really have your pick of the sea. From well-known brands like Samsung and Motorola to lesser-known device makers like TCL and OnePlus, the list of phones that are worth considering is long. As for smartwatches that replicate a phone-like experience, Verizon’s GizmoWatch 2 is also a respectable option.
