Best phone for kids: Apple, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung

Deciding on the right time to give your child a mobile phone can be tricky. Their friends all likely have one and a phone can be helpful when the time comes for a little more independence and freedom. However, they can also become addictive and leave your child open to cyberbullying.

Much like when you're choosing between the best kids' laptops or tablets, talking to your child about the responsibilities and pitfalls of technology and discussing the use of parental controls and tracking apps is vital. Then, once you’ve agreed, it’s time to choose the right device.

How to choose the best phone for kids

Voice phone or smartphone? Camera or no camera? Cheap and hardy or high-spec? The best phone for kids will provide reassurance for both you and your child, have a long enough battery life to last a full day of playing in the park or chilling at a friend's house, and offer an abundance of user-friendly features. It should also be affordable (or worth the extra cash if it’s particularly high-end) and come with a decent warranty.

To help you choose, we’ve put together a guide to the best phones for kids, as recommended by Mumsnet parents - the largest network of UK mums and dads - and their children, as well as trusted tech experts and consumers across the web. Here are the best phones for back-to-school 2024.

Read next: Discover the best travel games, the best family board games for the inevitable rainy days, and the top-rating online tutoring resources according to Mumsnet families.

What age should a kid get a phone at?

According to Ofcom, 91% of children have a smartphone by age 11, with many parents waiting until the last term of Year 6 or the start of secondary school to purchase one.

Offering peace of mind for parents, it can be reassuring to know that your child has a phone stored away in their school bag, but make sure you fully weigh up the pros (safety and ease of contact) against the cons (exposure to potential bullying and the murky depths of the internet if it’s a smartphone) before investing.

A smartphone isn’t the only option. The Nokia 105 will allow you to keep in touch with your child without giving them access to a camera or the internet. If school allows, you could also consider a GPS smartwatch such as Spacetalk or Xplora.

Don’t simply bow to pressure if you think your child isn’t ready though. It’s worth remembering that Bill Gates didn’t let his kids have smartphones until they were 14. And if anyone knows about the pitfalls of the internet, it’s Bill!

How to choose the best kids’ phone

First, decide whether you’re going for a smartphone or a good old-fashioned mobile. That will narrow it down a lot. And think about whether you want pay-as-you-go or a contract, and see what’s on offer with both.

Here are a few more things to consider:

• Parental controls: If you’re buying a smartphone, look for models that have parental controls on them so you can ensure they won’t be exposed to anything genuinely unsuitable.

• Durability: Look for phones that are more robust with toughened screens and rubber casing. If a tough case and screen protector don’t come with the phone, you’re able to buy both separately.

• Price: Kids’ phones vary dramatically in terms of price, with the most expensive phones Look for phones with a warranty; if it’s a top-of-the-range iPhone, you need to consider insurance.

• Battery life: A model with good battery life is a must to make it through the school day. The more a phone offers (camera, video, gaming apps, sports trackers), the quicker the battery life will dwindle.

What is the best first phone for a child?

It depends what you're looking for - if you're buying for a younger child and simply want a means of communication rather than something with access to the internet, apps and games, the Nokia 105 is a solid option and costs less than £20. If you're looking for a smartphone, ohn the other hand, your best bet is something like the Motorola G32 or E20 for a phone which is hardy, has good storage and allows you to place limits on screen-time.

The best phone plans for kids

The best phone deals for kids will give them enough freedom to enjoy their phones without costing you a fortune. Choose the number of minutes, texts and amount of data you’re paying for, then add limits and buffers to stop your little darling from using more data than they should and generating a massive bill. Here are the different types of plan you can get.

Wi-Fi only

This is the cheapest option and means you don’t need to buy a SIM card. However, they won’t be able to send standard texts or calls (though iMessage, FaceTime and the Android version of those will work), and they can only use the phone with a Wi-Fi network.

PAYG

This is a good option if the phone will only get minimal use or your teenager can’t be trusted not to go over their data allowance. If your child is paying for their phone from pocket money or a Saturday job, this is an ideal way to teach them about paying bills - it doesn't require a credit check. However, PAYG is not good value if it’s a feature-packed smartphone and lots of data is needed. Take a look at giffgaff for this type of deal.

SIM only

This type of contract is ideal for children and teenagers who have inherited a parent’s old phone or received a brand new phone as a gift. You choose the bundle of call minutes, texts and data that suits you and the length of time you want the plan to last. For example, a 30-day plan will be more expensive than a 12-month one, but an initial shorter term makes sense as you can test how much your child uses their phone and adjust the plan bundle accordingly. Tesco Mobile will give you an idea of the deals available.

Contract

A phone contract will tie you into the same minutes, texts and data bundle price for a minimum of two years. This is a big commitment. However, if you have an older teenager and you are investing in a high-end phone for them, a contract where you spread the cost of the phone and the plan is an affordable way to do it.

Suppose parental controls are the most crucial aspect of your decision to give your child a phone – then, look at Parentshield. Mumsnet user annababbie is thrilled with her decision to use the service: “We gave our children our old iPhones and got Parentshield SIM cards for them both. Absolutely brilliant. I cannot recommend them enough.”

How to track your kids

A phone with GPS is vital if you want to track the location of your kids. If their phone is in their pocket and they are concentrating on playing with their mates, they will likely forget to check their phone and you’ll inevitably panic.

Many apps, such as Snapchat, have tracking capability, but be aware that other people can track them too! Happily, there are more appropriate apps available. Take a look at this advice from Mumsnet user daisyjgrey:

“I have an app called Find My Kids. You have that on your phone and you download the paired app on the child's phone called Pingo. It will show you where your child is, their movement in real time and how much battery their phone has left. It also has a messaging function and an override so that if she's panicking or needs me urgently, she can press a button and an alarm goes off on my phone with her location, even if my phone is on silent. I thought it would need a bit of work convincing her to have it but she had zero problems with it.”

What's a good phone for a 10-year-old?

For its durability, impressive battery life and user-friendly design, we think the affordable Motorola e30 as the best phone for 10-year-olds right now.

How do I make my kid’s phone safe?

Most smart phones come with parental controls, allowing you to restrict access to age-appropriate websites, apps and content. You may also want to consider third party apps that can restrict access and even set time limits to ensure a healthy level of screen time.

When it comes to social media, we recommend you check the recommended ages carefully and set clear boundaries around appropriate use - this may include removing the phone before bed.

How we chose the best children's phones

Expert recommendations

To find the best phones on the market for teens and tweens, we first scoured all the most recent reviews to see what tech industry experts were saying and what was new to the market and assessed them against our criteria for what we’d choose for our own kids.

Phones tried and tested by real parents

We then sought out parents' advice on the Mumsnet forums to discover what they had bought for their children and at what stage, and found out how those phones had fared and whether they were still happy with those purchases some time on. We also made sure we made notes on any models that hadn’t impressed Mumsnetters too.

Celebrated products

From there, we consulted in-depth reviews on technology sites and cross-checked our picks with other best buy lists to ensure we were presenting you with only the very best options. We then developed a shortlist of phones that had won industry awards, accolades and applause from real parents, and we chose the phones that we felt represented the best choices and the best value for money.

Why you should trust us

Mumsnet has been helping parents make their lives easier since 2000, and, in that time, we've investigated, tried and reviewed thousands of products.

We strive to provide honest and independent advice you can trust, and we spend hours scouring the Mumsnet forums and online bestseller lists to find amazing products that real parents love.

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.  

As mum to a nearly 11 year old daughter, Lucy is only too familiar with some of the challenges regarding tweens, phones and screen time.