Child Friendly Alternatives
Smartphone Alternatives for Under-16s
Delaying smartphones until at least 16 is one of the most valuable investments we can make in children’s mental health and wellbeing. These child-friendly alternatives offer the independence and connection young people need, without putting unrestricted access to the internet, social media and addictive apps in their pockets.
First phones
XploraOne
Designed specially as a first phone, super simple and safe, touchscreen makes it appealing to children
Maxcom MM135 LIGHT
Very simple, great value, very durable, easy to identify as a non-smartphone.
Nokia 2660 Flip
Looks stylish, good battery life, well priced
TCL 4022S
Nice-sized screen, easy to use, good battery life
Nokia 105 2G
Compact, durable, great value, some basic games for fun
The Phone+
Large, bright touchscreen, calls & texts only, well priced
Follow-on phones
Balance Phone
Modern smartphone design, independence with guardrails, decent camera quality
The Light Phone II
Good choice of features, compact design
Pinwheel
Good performance, strong parental controls, GPS tracking
HMD Fusion X1
Looks great, modern features, incredible parent-level control
The Bark Phone
A safer smartphone for kids — with parental controls that grow with them.
Alternatives to phones
Don’t want your child to have a phone at all? Try these options
KARRI
A walky-talky style device with a built in sim card and monthly subscription. It allows you to send messages from your phone to the KARRI and for your children to respond. Simple and effective, it also has a built in GPS tracker.
imoo
A smart watch with comprehensive parental controls, messaging, health tools, gps tracking and dual cameras for photos and video calls. It’s also waterproof for holiday fun. Requires a sim card but there’s no monthly fee for the companion parent app.
Xplora
This smart watch can send and receive voice messages and calls from parent-authorised contacts, has GPS tracking and can set ‘safe zones’ alerting you if they leave a defined location. Requires a sim card and has a monthly fee for the companion app.
Mighty
Play Your Spotify and Amazon Music Without A Phone. Plays playlists and podcasts without a phone. No screens, distractions or internet connection.
The Bark Watch
Monitor texts, track location, and manage contacts on the best kid’s smart watch – now built on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8.
Trackers
Want to track your child’s location on independent journeys? Our top picks of trackers.
AirTag
An Apple classic that works by utilising other people’s phones to mark its location. Won’t provide a second by second location but is a great option to track kids when they are traveling to and from school or activities.
Roam
A newer tracker that works in the same way as an Airtag but is both Android and Apple compatible. It also comes with a strap and a clip for attaching it to backpacks or other items without having to purchase additional accessories.