What age should a child get a phone?
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!
Is too much screen time dangerous for kids?
Too much screen time can be dangerous for kids so, as you would with phones and TV, it’s important to supervise your child’s tablet use and ensure they use it in moderation alongside other activities.
Whilst phones and tablets can be educational, health experts warn that too much blue screen exposure can affect your child's sleep patterns and has a number of health risks. You can see Mumsnet user's hints and tips in our guide to responsible screen time.
This year, concerns around excessive screen use and social media exposure on phones is growing. Mumsnet recently launched Rage Against the Screen, a campaign aimed at informing parents about smartphone and social media risks while advocating for stricter protections, including:
Enforced age limits for social media with real penalties for non-compliance.
Public health guidance on smartphone and app addiction.
Support for raising the ‘internet adulthood’ age from 13 to 16 via Josh MacAlister’s Safer Phones Bill.
To support parents, Mumsnet has teamed up with Dr. Becky Foljambe, NHS GP and Founder of Health Professionals for Safer Screens and Dr. Sanjiv Nichani OBE, Senior Consultant Paediatrician at Leicester Children's Hospital to host expert-led AMAs, offering guidance on managing children’s screen time.
What are the recommended screen time limits for kids?
According to NHS-backed guidelines set out by experts at Health Professionals for Safer Screens, recommended screen time limits are:
Ages 2-5: Maximum 30 minutes per day and no screens two hours before bed.
Ages 6-10: 1-2 hours per weekday, up to 2 hours on weekends, and no screens in the first hour after waking.
Ages 11-17: 2 hours per weekday, 2-3 hours on weekends, and no screens in the first hour of the day.
While phones and tablets can be a valuable learning tool, balance is key - setting clear limits early on helps children develop healthy digital habits.
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, on the other hand, your best bet is the Other phone for a phone which is hardy, has good storage and allows you to place limits on screen time.
What are 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.
How to track your child using their phone
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, such as Find My Kids.
How do I make my child's phone safe?
Most smartphones 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.