Best Phone for Kids: First Phones and Watches by Age

Most parents shopping for the best phone for kids are really answering a different question first: how much of the internet should this child have right now? A seven year old who needs to call home after practice has very different needs from a fourteen year old who wants group chats and a music app. So this guide is organized by age and readiness, not by spec sheet, and it starts with the simplest devices.

How we chose these kids phones

We did not test these devices ourselves. The picks below are based on what each company publishes about its hardware, plans and parental controls, plus official help pages from Apple and Google for the regular smartphones. We weighed four things: what a child can and cannot reach by default, how much control a parent keeps, the real monthly cost once service is included, and whether the device is sold in the US today. Prices were checked on each company's site in October 2026 and change often, so confirm before you buy.

Best for ages 5 to 12 who are not ready for a phone: Gabb Watch 3e

Who it is for: younger kids who need to reach a parent and be found, but who do not need a screen in their pocket.

Why it stands out: Gabb says the Watch 3e has its own phone number and works without a paired phone. It supports calls and group texting with up to 100 parent approved contacts, GPS tracking with Safe Zone alerts, and has no social media or web browser. Gabb rates it IP68 for water resistance and lists the target age as 5 to 12.

Downsides: location updates roughly every 15 minutes, according to Gabb, so it is not a live tracker. The SOS button calls the child's chosen SOS contact, not emergency services, which is worth explaining to your child. It also needs a 2.4 GHz Wi Fi network for some features.

Price in October 2026: $229.99, plus a Gabb plan of $12.99, $14.99 or $17.99 a month and a $30 activation fee.

Best first phone for calls and texts only: Gabb Phone 4

Who it is for: kids roughly 9 to 14 (Gabb's own range) who want something that looks like a normal phone but should not have the open internet yet.

Why it stands out: the Gabb Phone 4 has no internet browser, no app store and no social media. Gabb says the phone cannot access the internet at all. It still has a 6.1 inch screen, two rear cameras, GPS tracking, Gabb Messenger with video calling and about 16 preloaded apps, so it does not feel like a toy. Unlimited talk and text is included on every Gabb plan.

Downsides: 32GB of storage fills up fast with photos and video. Kids who need school apps, a banking app for a debit card or a specific messaging app will outgrow it. Contacts are managed by the child by default, so switch to parent managed contacts during setup if that matters to you.

Price in October 2026: $249.99, plus $12.99 to $17.99 a month and a $30 activation fee.

Best for adding approved apps over time: Pinwheel

Who it is for: tweens who need a few specific apps (a school portal, a music player, a reading app) while parents keep the rest locked down.

Why it stands out: Pinwheel uses an app library that it describes as more than 1,000 pre vetted apps, with no web browser by default. Only safelisted numbers can call or text, and parents can schedule when contacts and apps are available. It is also the only option here that lets you keep your own carrier: the Caregiver Portal plan works with whichever cellular service you pick. Pinwheel sells several Android models, including the Genesis 4 and the 5G capable Plus 6.

Downsides: Pinwheel notes the Genesis 4 does not work on Verizon, so check the model against your carrier. Device prices were not shown on Pinwheel's main phone page when we looked, so you will need to price the hardware in its shop.

Price in October 2026: the Caregiver Portal subscription is $17.99 a month (or $174.99 a year) if you bring your own carrier. Pinwheel Wireless, with unlimited calls and texts plus 5GB of high speed data, is $29.99 a month.

Best low upfront cost Samsung for kids: Troomi Galaxy A17 5G

Who it is for: families who want a familiar Samsung phone with filtering built in, and who would rather spread the cost out.

Why it stands out: Troomi pairs a Samsung Galaxy A17 5G with its own parent approved app store, an optional browser that only opens approved sites, SafeListing for contacts, GPS tracking and downtime scheduling. Troomi also says it uses AI to blur explicit images in texts. Plans are month to month and run on AT&T, according to the company.

Downsides: the phone payment runs for 36 months, which is a long time for a child's first phone. The cheapest plan covers talk and text only; photo messaging and group chats start on the middle plan.

Price in October 2026: $6.94 a month for 36 months for the phone, plus a plan from $24.95 (Do), $29.95 (Dream) or $34.95 (Discover) a month.

Best for monitoring as kids get older: Bark Phone

Who it is for: young teens moving toward a full smartphone, where the parent wants to loosen limits in stages.

Why it stands out: the Bark Phone is a Samsung A16 (or an A37 on the Pro) with Bark's monitoring and Bark Premium for the whole family included. Bark lists contact approval, app approval, website blocking, screen time schedules, text deletion prevention and a driving lock. The plan ladder is the useful part: a Starter plan has no internet or app store, and higher tiers add Wi Fi only, then 4GB, 8GB or unlimited data.

Downsides: this is the most expensive option per month once data is added, and the device payment lasts 24 months. Bark offers a 60 day money back guarantee, which is worth using as a trial period.

Price in October 2026: $15 a month for 24 months for the Bark Phone ($25 a month for the Pro), plus a plan from $29 a month (Starter) up to $79 a month for unlimited data.

Best regular smartphone for teens: Google Pixel 10a

Who it is for: older teens who are ready for a full phone, in families that will use built in parental controls instead of a kids' carrier.

Why it stands out: Google promises seven years of OS and security updates for the Pixel 10a, so it can last through high school. It has a 6.3 inch display, IP68 water resistance and Gorilla Glass 7i. On Android, Google Family Link lets parents approve app downloads, set daily limits and bedtime, check location and restrict mature content on Google Play.

Downsides: a full smartphone gives far more freedom, and Family Link only works as well as the rules you set. If your family uses iPhones, Apple's Screen Time parental controls do a similar job (on iOS 27 you will find them under Settings, then Family, then your child's name), and you can compare the two in our iPhone vs Android guide.

Price in October 2026: from $599 at the Google Store.

Kids phones and features to skip

• Hand me down phones that no longer get security updates. An old phone is tempting, but an unpatched one is a weak first device. If you go used, follow our refurbished iPhone checklist first.
• Long contracts on a first phone. Kids lose, break and outgrow phones. Favor month to month service or a money back window.
• Watches sold as safety devices without explaining what SOS does. On the Gabb Watch, for example, SOS calls the child's chosen SOS contact, not 911. Make sure your child knows how to call emergency services directly.
• Paying for data a child cannot use. If the phone has no browser or app store, a large data plan is wasted money.

A quick buying checklist

1. Decide what your child actually needs: calls, texts, photos, school apps or full internet.
2. Check that the device works on your carrier, or pick a kids' carrier that includes service.
3. Add the device cost and 24 or 36 months of plan fees to see the real total.
4. Confirm who manages contacts, and that unknown numbers are blocked by default.
5. Look for a clear path to loosen controls later so the phone grows with your child.
6. Set up the parental controls before you hand it over, not after.

If you are buying a phone for a grandparent at the same time, our best phone for seniors guide covers simpler devices, and our guide on how to choose a smartphone helps when your teen is ready for a regular model. You can find more device guides in our Gadgets section.

One last tip: write the family rules down and agree on them together on day one. A phone with strong controls and no shared expectations tends to cause more arguments than a basic phone with clear ones.