When Should I Get My Child a Phone?

You can leverage these resources while navigating Chapter 13 in The Digital Parenting Guidebook. We will continue to add additional resources based on feedback from the book.

On this page, we will be addressing the following items:

• Reviewing smartphone alternatives
• Reviewing recommended smartphones

Smartphone Alternatives

The number one mistake I see parents make is giving their child a full-featured smartphone without guidance or boundaries. There are several ways to avoid this trip. One is to avoid jumping to a smartphone for your child. If you remember, I addressed this in The Digital Parenting Guidebook:

I couldn't imagine giving any of my kids a Ferrari for their first car. Its capabilities, dangers, and cost make it an illogical place to start. Far too many parents immediately jump to a smartphone as their child's first phone. This could be an iPhone, Google Pixel, or Samsung Galaxy. While there aren't as many beginner options for phones as there are for cars, there are viable alternatives that you should consider first. I often hear, “I need to be able to get in touch with my child.” There are far safer ways to stay connected with your child than jumping immediately into a full-featured smartphone.

You can consider several different types of devices before buying a smartphone.

Watches

I recommend looking at smartwatches as the first device for your child. They give you the ability to stay in contact with your child, but they don't have the same level of risks as smartphones.

Gizmo Watch 3

The Gizmo Watch 3 from Verizon is the third generation of the popular kids' smartwatch. This model adds capabilities such as locating your child from the parent app. This watch has some negative reviews but still excels over other watches I have tried.

Apple Watch SE

The Apple Watch can be an excellent choice for parents. If you need your child to have a continual connection (like a phone), get the model with cellular capabilities. Also, you will have to add this to your mobile provider for the cellular functionality to work, which will be an additional fee.

Phones

If you need an actual phone instead of a smartwatch, there are a few different options you can consider.

Flip Phones

Flip phones do indeed still exist. Even though this type of mobile phone has decreased in popularity, some manufacturers are still making new models. Some traditional manufacturers, like Nokia, have continued to create models that can connect with the latest types of wireless networks. Other manufacturers, like Sunbeam Wireless, were founded to help address the need for simplified phones.

Light Phone II

I have had my eyes on the company behind the Light Phone for quite some time. They aim to create phones "designed to be used as little as possible." The Light Phone II is my recommendation for any adult who wants to ditch the smartphone, but it works equally well for teens.

Recommended Smartphones

If you truly need a smartphone for your child, I recommend the Bark Phone. A parent can fully manage this Android-based smartphone from the Bark app. Because Bark has built-in deep integrations into Android, this phone has more parental controls than an off-the-shelf iPhone or Android phone equipped with Bark.