A first phone isn’t a birthday. It’s a readiness level. Find the rung your kid is on, what
earns the next one, and which phone fits right now.
Prices and features checked on each company’s site, September 2026
Somebody asks me which kid phone is best just about every week, and four different families are going to get
four completely different answers. So instead of ranking them, this page asks you a few questions, and by the end
you’ll know which one is right for yours.
Prefer to watch? Here’s my full video.
Need the answer tonight?
Under about 8, or you just need to reach them? A watch that calls and texts might be the whole answer:
an Apple Watch if your family uses iPhones, or a Bark Watch if you don’t.
Just calls and texts, no internet? Look at Gabb.
They need a real (filtered) web browser, or two or three favorite YouTube channels? Look at Troomi.
You want it on your own cell plan, with exact control over what works when? Look at Pinwheel.
They’re getting on the social media train, whether you like it or not? Look at the Bark Phone.
If that answered it, go, be free. The reasons behind those lines are further down, and that’s where
the real money is.
Something you should know about me
I work for Troomi. Not “they sent me a phone.” I’m employed there. I wrote the original version of
this comparison before I worked there, and nobody at Troomi tells me what I can say. I also have affiliate links for all
four phones and the Bark Watch, so I make a little money whichever one you pick. That’s on purpose, so there’s
no reason for me to steer you. And I’ll tell you where Troomi falls short, too.
The Ladder
Instead of jumping straight into the deep end with an unfiltered smartphone, step up one rung at a time.
Think training wheels for the digital world. Ages are typical, not rules: some 8-year-olds are ready, and some
16-year-olds aren’t quite there yet.
1
A Watch That Calls Usually 3rd to 5th grade
You’re here
Not an entertainment hub, just a way to stay in touch: practice ends early, they’re at the other parent’s
house, or they get home before you do.
What I’d pick: an Apple Watch if your family uses iPhones, or a Bark Watch if you
don’t. Details are in the phone finder below.
Not yet? That’s a completely legitimate answer. So is waiting on the watch, too.
Ready for a phone when…
2
A Kid-Safe Phone Usually 6th to 8th grade
You’re here
A phone with the rules built into the phone itself, so there’s no app to delete and no switch to flip. Approved
contacts, no social media, and you decide what else comes along.
Your options: Gabb, Troomi, or Pinwheel. The phone finder below helps you choose.
Ready for social media when…
3
A Monitored Smartphone Usually 13 to 15
You’re here
They’re ready for social media and have outgrown the locked-down kid phones, but it’s not time for the
Wild West yet.
Your options: the Bark Phone, or an Android phone with
Google Family Link plus the Bark app. Android lets monitoring
apps see a lot more than an iPhone does.
Ready to loosen up when…
4
Loosening the Reins Usually 16 and 17
You’re here
If they want an iPhone now, go for it. Strict daily limits come off, and maybe a healthy bedtime stays. You’re
moving from gatekeeper to consultant: a 10-minute tech check-in each week, and every now and then, a friendly
“hand me your phone for a second” to scroll their feed. The algorithm doesn’t lie.
Ready for hands-off when…
5
Hands-Off 18, or high school graduation
You’re here
The parental controls are gone. If they have a job, their own phone plan is great practice. Still on yours? Give them
an allowance for the bill and have them pay it, so they learn what it costs to stay connected.
A short list of preloaded apps. No browser, no app store
Grows?
Built to be the first one, for a stretch of time
Cost
From $29.99 a month on a two-year contract (more without one), plus a $30 activation fee and the phone ($169.99)
Best feature: Gabb Music, a music service where every song has been picked to be kid-appropriate. Think
kids’ menu at a restaurant, and sometimes the kids’ menu is exactly what you wanted.
Watch out for: no schedules for shutting things off at certain times of day, and the complaints I see most
are about hardware and reliability.
For: kids who need a real, filtered web browser or a few favorite YouTube channels.
Network
Its own service, on AT&T. US only
Texts
You can read full conversations, and it blocks inappropriate words and pictures from being sent or received
Apps
Approved apps from its own app store. Never social media
Grows?
Yes. It starts as a calling and texting phone and opens up in stages
Cost
$24.95 to $34.95 a month, plus the phone ($6.94 a month for 36 months)
Best features: the message filtering, and a Smart Browser that lets you approve specific YouTube channels
with no comments and no recommended videos, so there’s no rabbit hole at midnight.
Where we fall short (I work here, so I’m being extra critical): if AT&T is bad where you live,
Troomi is bad where you live. It never opens up social media, so it won’t carry most kids all the way through
high school. And the app store and time scheduler are clunky right now.
For: families who want the phone on their own plan, with tight schedules.
Network
Your choice. Add it to your own plan, or use Pinwheel’s own service. Sold in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia
Texts
You can read full conversations
Apps
Approved apps, with Pinwheel’s own review of each one. No web browser, no social media
Grows?
Yes, it opens up as they’re ready
Cost
$17.99 a month for the parent portal plus your own cell plan, or $29.99 a month with Pinwheel’s service, plus the phone
Best features: the scheduler. Modes like school, homework, and bedtime decide which apps work when, with a
routine checklist built in, so “brush teeth, make bed” lives on the phone instead of in your voice. Its app
breakdowns are the best in the business, too.
Watch out for: paying for service and the portal separately, and a setup that can feel like so much that
people give up on the schedules.
For: older kids ready for social media, as the bridge to a regular phone.
Network
Its own service, on T-Mobile
Texts
Alerts you to concerning content, with a snippet, instead of showing every message
Apps
Any app you approve, including social media, and Bark watches a long list of them
Grows?
It’s the last phone before a regular one
Cost
$29 to $79 a month depending on data, plus the phone ($10 a month for 24 months, or $25 a month for the Pro). Every plan includes Bark for your family’s other devices
Best feature: it watches social media messages. Allow Instagram, and you’ll get alerts for anything
concerning inside Instagram.
Watch out for: alerts without full visibility, and a scheduling screen people (including me) find a little
punishing. For a 9-year-old, it’s probably more monitoring than you need yet.
Why not the old iPhone in the junk drawer, or a flip phone?
I understand the instinct. The catch is that controls you add on top of a regular phone can be taken off a regular
phone, and kids don’t need to be hackers to do it: they re-download the deleted app from the cloud, change the
clock, make a second account, or factory reset the whole thing. (I have a whole video on
the ways kids get around parental controls.)
On a kid-safe phone, the rules are baked into the phone itself. That doesn’t make them unbreakable, just a lot
harder to break.
Flip phones are the worst of both worlds. A lot of them run on Android, so they get the internet and apps, but none of
the parental controls. If you want a truly basic phone, I show you how to
turn an iPhone into a dumb phone.
Before You Hand It Over
Kids almost never break these phones with everything locked down. They walk through a door you opened.
The loopholes live in the yes you clicked in March and forgot about.
Straight from the source
Prices and features come from each company’s own pages. This category changes constantly, so if something here is
a deal breaker for you, check it there before you buy.
