Buying your child their first phone – mobile phones for kids

As a parent, the decision of when to buy your child their first phone can be a tricky one, especially if all their friends already have a phone. There's no one-size-fits-all answer – it depends on their age, their level of maturity and their specific needs. 

In our most recent poll on this topic, just over half of those with kids said their child got their first phone between 10 and 12. And 65% who hadn't given their child a phone yet said they would at this age.

If you think they're not quite ready but you want to be able to contact them in an emergency, you could also consider a basic non-smart phone that is only capable of calling and texting.

When it comes to choosing a phone for your child, you don't need to break the bank, but there are a couple of main options...

Consider a hand-me-down to keep costs down

If you already have an old phone lying around that you're not using, or you're looking to upgrade soon, then the smart thing to do is to pass your old device on to your child.

You'll need to get a new Sim you can slot into the phone to make calls, texts and use the internet – so make sure your phone is unlocked. Most are sold unlocked now, but if not, see if you can unlock your phone for free.

It's also important to factory reset the device to remove any sensitive information, but make sure you back up any info you have on the device before doing this.

The return of 'dumbphones' – a smart choice for many

Many schools are now recommending 'dumbphones' (can be known as 'feature phones') for students. Dumbphones are basic phones with limited internet access, so they can still browse the web and access messaging apps like WhatsApp, but you can't get social media apps. This helps minimise distractions and keeps kids safer online.

They tend to be much more affordable than smartphones, with prices starting as low as £10. They are also more durable and often have a much longer battery life than smartphones. Some popular options include:

• Nokia 105 4G - This is Nokia's most affordable phone, available at Argos for £13.50 and claims to have a battery live of 22 days (or 12 hours of talk time).

• Nokia 2660 flip 4G - At £64.99 via John Lewis, it's not the cheapest, but its flip design may appeal to some.

• Nokia 6300 4G - This basic phone offers access to WhatsApp for messaging, but also Facebook (albeit, on a small screen). It's currently available at Amazon for £49.99.

If you need to buy a smartphone, choose wisely

If you feel your child is ready for a smartphone, it’s important to choose one that fits both their needs and your budget. While you might be tempted to buy the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, you don’t need to spend a lot on a device.

There are plenty of budget-friendly smartphones that offer all the features your child might need, such as messaging, apps, camera functionality, and internet access.

Whether you're giving your child a hand-me-down or you've bought a phone for them outright, you'll need to get them a Sim card. A Sim is a small chip that goes inside the phone and allows it to connect to the internet and make phone calls. There are two ways of paying for a Sim: 

• Pay-as-you-go. A pay-as-you-go Sim allows you to top up your account with credit, and then use that credit to make calls, send texts and use data. This is useful if you don't expect your child to use the phone much or just want to avoid the dreaded bill shock, but it tends to be the more expensive option. See our Best pay as you go guide for more.

• Contract. A contract Sim card includes a set allowance of minutes, texts and data that are refreshed each month. Contract lengths vary from 30 days to two years and they tend to be cheaper than pay-as-you-go. See our Sim only finder for more.

Most networks provide basic content filtering and this usually does an adequate job at protecting kids from seeing inappropriate websites. 

But if you're concerned about your child having a phone and want greater protections, ParentShield* is a specialist Sim that's designed for protecting children on their mobile. 

It has a bunch of specialist features that aims to help keep your child safe, including:

• Uninterrupted coverage - ParentShield piggybacks on Three's network, but it can to connect to other networks' masts if the signal with Three is poor or unavailable, so you'll have a better chance of your child being contactable at all times.

• Time controls - You can set 'school block' controls, which stops all calls, texts and mobile data between the hours of 9am and 3pm. They'll only be able to contact approved numbers and emergency services during these times. You can also set controls for bedtime too.

• Monitor your child's calls and texts - An optional settings but this helps you monitor what calls and texts your child is receiving, alerting you to unusual patterns and scanning messages for concerning words.

• Data and spending controls - These allow you to see how much data your child has left and to hold some in reserve should you need to locate the device. Spending controls allow you to block all premium rate services and overseas calls and anything that has an additional cost.

ParentShield offers six different Sims. Its cheapest is £9.99/month and includes 250 minutes and texts with PAYG data, so you pay £1.60 for each megabyte used. If you don't want it to be able to access the internet, it's also available as a 'no data' Sim. Its most expensive is £59.99/month and includes 500 minutes and texts, plus 20GB/month of data.

It's quite pricey compared to a standard cheap Sim, though it's the only Sim provider we could find with advanced parental controls built in.

⚠️ Note. ParentShield's controls only work when connected to its mobile network, so it wouldn't work when connected to Wi-Fi or personal hotspots, for example. You'll need to set up separate parental controls if your child plans on using the internet via these channels.

A couple of tips...

With the rise of smartphones, it can be incredibly hard to ensure your child's safety online, so it's crucial to equip yourself with the right tools to keep your kids protected.

Don't want your child to have access to the internet?

One option is to simply not allow, or only allow very limited, access to the internet on your child's mobile phone. There are a few ways to do this:

• Opt for a dumbphone. As we mention above, dumbphones have very few of the connectivity features smartphones do – no access to app stores or social media apps, though some still do let you browse the internet and receive emails.

• Try a pay-as-you-go Sim and turn off mobile data. You can do this via your device's parental controls. If you've purchased a Sim that includes data, then it still have the ability to connect to the internet, but your child wouldn't be able to do so unless you allow it.

• Try a 'no data' Sim. There is one contract Sim from Asda Mobile* that comes with unlimited minutes and texts (but no data) for £4 a month on a one-month contract (so you can cancel at anytime). That means they're always contactable but won't have mobile internet (which includes access to internet based messaging apps like WhatsApp).

Got your child a smartphone? Make sure to set up parental controls

Parental controls are a set of features and settings that allow parents or guardians to monitor and control their child's access to certain content, applications and services on their mobile devices.

If you plan on giving your child an iPhone or Android device, there are controls you can put in place that'll help keep your child safe online. Apple's parental controls and Google's Family Link lets you set the following controls:

• Screen time limits

• Block certain apps

• Limit access to inappropriate content in the app store and web content

• Put limits on permissions such as access to the camera 

• Prevent app store purchases

• Location tracking

How to set up parental controls on iPhones and Android phones

• Got an iPhone? You'll need to set up Family Sharing. To do this, your child needs to have their own Apple ID (requires an email address). Once set up, most of these controls can be set by navigating to Settings and tap Screen Time.
  
  Tap to turn on screen time and you'll then be asked if the iPhone is for yourself or for your child, select This is My Child's iPhone. From there, follow the steps to set up as many controls as you'd like. See Apple for full instructions on how to set and manage controls.

• Got an Android phone? With any Android device (Samsung, Google etc), you'll be able to use Google's Family Link. To do this, your child needs to create their own Google account (requires an email address).
  
  Once created, install the Family Link app which is available via Google's Play Store and you'll be able to set controls by navigating to Settings and tap Digital Wellbeing and parental controls, then tap Parental Controls to get started.

You can block or limit access to app stores and in-app purchases 

We've all heard horror stories of kids racking up £100s in charges through in-app purchases – where the child has access to an app store which is linked to, and has free access to, the parent's bank account or credit card. To make sure this can't happen, block purchases, or make sure they need a password. Here's how: 

• On an iPhone. To block apps or password protect them, go to Settings, select Screen Time, and enter the Screen Time passcode. Then, tap iTunes & App Store Purchases. Under In-App Purchases, select Don't Allow.

• On an Android phone. To block in-app purchases on Android, open the Family Link app, select your child, then go to Content restrictions, and tap on Google Play. In the Purchases & download approvals section, tap Require approval for and choose the type of purchase approval you prefer (All content, only paid content, only in-app purchases, or no approval required.

You can also set some parental controls through your mobile network

If the phone doesn't allow you to set parental controls, you might still be able to use Sim card controls. These vary between networks, but most apply basic content filtering by default, which blocks access to age-inappropriate sites.

To check, you can contact the network, or if it lets you manage your account online, you can usually find parental controls there.

But remember that any parental controls set on the Sim card will only apply when it's connected to the network. The controls won't apply if you're connected to your home's (or others') Wi-Fi. So if it's possible, be sure to set similar restrictions on your Wi-Fi network for continuous protection.