The best laptops for kids 2024: top tech for schoolwork, gaming and videos

From homework to gaming, buying a laptop to suit your child’s needs requires careful consideration. Not only is online safety of paramount importance in today’s increasingly digital world, but with the cost of living crisis shrinking family budgets, many parents are looking to spend less where they can. Researching the best laptops for kids in your price range will ultimately ensure you get the most bang for your buck, whether you're looking to splash the cash for a birthday or Christmas or simply looking to upgrade an older device. From Chromebooks and 2-in-1 tablets to traditional laptops, there are plenty of child-friendly devices on the market, all offering a fast and reliable user experience. While the best laptops for kids may not necessarily need all the latest features, it should handle the tasks your child will use it for, be that homework, online tutoring, video streaming or gaming.

How we choose our recommendations

We scoured the Mumsnet Talk boards for recommendations from the UK's largest online network of parents. We also consulted tech experts and trusted tech publications, and analysed hundreds of customer reviews in our mission to find the best laptops for kids - from those ideal for younger kids to the best models with portability, good graphics, storage and battery life which make a great choice for older kids. Every single device on our list has been authenticated, checked and rechecked to ensure all our top picks live up to their hype.

If you're looking for more honest tech recommendations from real parents, check out our guides to the best tablets for kids, best phone for kids, best kids' cameras, best school bags and best games consoles for kids.

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How do I choose a laptop for my child?

When selecting the best laptops for kids, here are some things to bear in mind:

• Durability: Children aren’t always as careful as we’d like them to be, so the ideal laptop for kids should be robust and hardwearing for use at home and at school.

• Ease of use: It should be easy to navigate, with simple instructions, an intuitive interface or touchscreen capabilities.

• Battery life:  How long does the battery life last? Is this long enough to last a whole day at school without access to a charger? Most decent kids’ laptops have a battery life of at least 10 hours.

• RAM: Does the laptop have enough RAM and storage to manage multiple school projects and uninterrupted streaming and browsing? In terms of RAM, 4GB should suffice for most kids, though 8GB would be better if your child plans to use it for gaming too.

• Storage capacity: Your child probably won’t need to store lots on their laptop but look for one that has at least 64GB of storage if it comes with Windows 11 (others don’t need as much storage).

• Operating system: Windows 11 is a useful operating system for child-friendly laptops, thanks to the S Mode function which prevents apps from being installed unless they’re available on the Microsoft store. This means you can block apps or games based on their safety score and ratings. It’s also simple to use, making it a good option for children.

• Safety: Look for laptops with built-in parental controls and safety features such as anti-virus protection.

• Laptop or Chromebook?: Apple makes some of the best laptops around, but they don’t come cheap so may not be the best option for children, however iPads are smaller and easy to navigate. As far as Chromebooks go, they’ve come a long way since their launch in 2011. Most are pre-installed with the ChromeOS operating system, which is cheaper to run than Windows and has lower hardware requirements so you can get away with as little as 16GB of storage. Chromebooks sync well with Google apps such as Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Sheets and Google Assistant, plus they’re compatible with Android apps and ChromeOS games and have parental control features.

• Extras: Other features you may want to consider are a wide keyboard and backlighting.

Internet Matters suggests doing the following before buying your child’s laptop:

• First consider how the laptop will be used. For instance, does your child need to sit and type for long periods or is the laptop more for research purposes and watching videos?

• Talk to your child about what they’d like to do on it.

• Have a discussion with your child’s teacher about what your child needs to support their learning.

Is a 2-in-1 laptop good for kids?

A 2-in-1 laptop, also known as a hybrid laptop, is essentially a notebook (which is a lighter laptop) and a tablet in one. If you think your child currently needs a tablet and a laptop or might need both in future, a 2-in-1 may save you money in the long-run. We think the best 2-in-1 laptop for kids is the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i.

However, if a tablet is not an essential for your child, a more powerful standard notebook or heavy-duty laptop will be a better alternative.

Here are some features of a 2-in-1 laptop to keep in mind:

• Some have detachable keyboards or ones that fold around the device.

• Most have touchpads.

• They’re lightweight, sleek and portable.

• Some aren’t as powerful as regular laptops.

What is a good starter laptop for a 10-year-old?

It depends on your budget - if you're looking for one of the best laptops for kids coming in at around £200, the ASUS C202 11.6" Chromebook is our top budget pick. It's lightweight, has ChromeOS which provides access to Google Drive and Gmail - a good, robust option for schoolwork. If you're looking for something a little fancier, we also like the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet and Flex 5i for 2-in-1 versatility.

How much should I spend on a kids’ laptop?

A laptop is a good investment for your child’s education, but since children mainly use laptops for online learning and schoolwork, as well as some entertainment (think gaming, watching movies and accessing approved social media), you don’t need to spend a lot of money on one. If you’re a Mac fan, expect to spend upwards of £1,000 on a laptop. All laptops on our list fall within the range of £200 to £900.

How can I make sure my child is safe online?

The internet can feel like a scary place to let your child explore, but there are steps you can take to ensure they remain as safe as possible online.

• Set boundaries and rules as a family, such as keeping laptops in a family space and allowing access to all devices.

• Talk to your child regularly about online safety and connecting with friends online.

• Ask what they do online and check out the websites and games they use so you understand what they are seeing.

• Show your child how to report abuse and how to block people on the websites they use.

• Check their privacy settings. Adjust parental controls to suit your child’s age and maturity and supervise young children when using the internet. There are tools and apps you can use to monitor their usage and access, such as a VPN which restricts what they can do online.

What is the best laptop to buy for a kid?

A tablet and laptop in one, the affordable Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 10.1" 2-in-1 Chromebook is versatile, lightweight and one of the best laptops for kids. With a small keyboard and a full HD touchscreen, it can be used for browsing the internet, watching videos, accessing online classes and playing games - all the basic requirements for a good child-friendly laptop.

Read next: Amazon Fire 7 Kids vs Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids: Which is the best kids' tablet?

Is a Chromebook good for a child?

Sometimes the best laptops for kids aren't technically laptops at all: if your child just needs a laptop for basic word processing and internet access, you can't go wrong with a good Chromebook. However, if your child is looking for something they can use for gaming or more advanced school work they might be better off with a laptop.

Is too much screen time dangerous for kids? 

When buying a laptop for your child, you may want to consider the amount of screen time that is appropriate for their age, including their use of other devices such as tablets and TV. 

Too much screen time can have negative impacts on your child’s cognitive development, concentration levels, mental health, communication and self-esteem. When used in moderation, however, a laptop can support your child’s overall learning and education. For more guidance and support, check out Mumsnet users tips on how to manage your child’s screen time. 

How we chose our recommendations

Recommendations from real parents

In our search for the best products to recommend to you, we always start by asking our Mumsnet users which one they love the most. Our forums have over 7 million users each month so we know that each product they suggest has been able to withstand the needs of a family, whilst also catering for a range of different needs, budgets and lifestyles.

Expert advice

Whatever the category, we want to end up with a list of tried-and-tested products that will cater for a range of different situations, so our trusted and experienced parenting journalists research each category thoroughly. This means checking with the experts to make sure that each one stands up to scrutiny.

We use a variety of sources when researching, including independent review sites, such as Which?, to help ensure we are bringing you the best products on the market right now.

Consumer feedback

Online reviews are so important when purchasing any product as it helps us work out which ones stand the test of family life, so we make sure to scour the internet to see which ones are well-rated when used by the consumer at home. We consult reviews on websites such as John Lewis, Amazon and Argos, to make sure the products are worth your hard-earned cash.

We don’t just look for positive feedback, the negative reviews are so important too for helping us work out which products perform well across the board.

Celebrated best products

Finally, we look out for any products that have received industry awards to help us recommend a variety of laptops for kids that will cater for a range of budgets and needs.

About the author

Lucy Cotterill is a mum of two and a Content Writer at Mumsnet, specialising in baby/child and lifestyle product reviews and round-ups. Having written product reviews on her own blog Real Mum Reviews since 2012, Lucy loves to research and explore the pros and cons of products, scrutinising reviews and consumer feedback to help people make confident purchases.  

A Macbook Pro user, Lucy shifted from her Windows laptop around two years ago and hasnt looked back since, however a tech fan, she knows the features to look out for when looking for an efficient and high performing laptop. 

Originally from a HR background with a degree in Business Studies, Lucy developed a real passion for blogging and writing when her children were young, going on to write for several online publications including US parenting site Pregistry and the Evening Standard. When she’s not manically tapping the keys of her laptop, Lucy loves nothing more than to cosy up with her Kindle and enjoy the latest thriller, or compete in Nintendo Switch rallies with her daughters aged six and 10.

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