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The Best First Phones For Kids

If you’re looking to give your child their first phone, you may want one with training wheels.

Along with our own tweens and teens, we’ve tested 12 flip phones and kid-centric smartphones. These phones allow your child to call, text, and take photos, but limit web access, social media, and other potential distractions.

These starter phones have drawn increased interest as parents and caregivers weigh concerns that kids spend too much time on screens, along with a warning last year by the surgeon general that social media can hurt their mental health and well-being. All of the options have pros and cons—and none can sub in for ongoing conversations about social media, pornography, and healthy screen time habits.

We also offer separate guides to additional options, including location tracking devices, kids smartwatches, and parental controls that can be installed on standard smartphones. If you’re still deciding between a phone and a smartwatch, see our breakdown of what each does.

The Bark phone is a Samsung smartphone with Bark’s parental controls built in. It sends alerts about problematic usage. Photo: Connie Park

The Pinwheel phone is also a Samsung smartphone with parental controls built in. It blocks social media but does include a library of vetted apps. Photo: Connie Park

The iPhone SE is the cheapest iPhone and can be paired with Apple’s Screen Time. It’s the most convenient option for families that are already using Apple phones—and the most coveted among teens. Photo: Connie Park

The TCL Flip 2 is a dependable flip phone. It’s great for calls, but group texting is problematic. Photo: Connie Park

The Bark phone is a Samsung smartphone with Bark’s parental controls built in. It sends alerts about problematic usage. Photo: Connie Park

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The Best First Phones For Kids

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