• 3 min read
Kid-safe phones are booming as parents push back
A growing crop of kid-focused phones strips out browsers, social media, and app stores while giving parents tighter controls.
Image: JGI/Jamie Grill (opens in a new window)
Parents looking for a safer first phone for their kids now have a growing list of options. The common formula is familiar smartphone hardware paired with heavily restricted software: no open web browsing, no social media, and no app stores, plus parent controls for contacts, location, screen time, and in some cases alerts about harmful content or suspicious behavior.
Some companies go further and skip the smartphone model entirely, offering minimalist calling-and-texting devices or even kid-focused home phones.
Bark Phone is one of the best-known entries. Built on Samsung Galaxy hardware, it limits calling and texting to approved contacts and uses Bark’s monitoring software to scan texts, emails, photos, and supported apps for signs of cyberbullying, grooming, suicidal ideation, sexual content, and other concerns. Parents get alerts and can gradually unlock web access, apps, and other features over time. The standard model costs $240, with a required wireless plan starting at $29/month.
Gabb takes a stricter approach by removing many risks upfront rather than emphasizing monitoring. Its phones have no social media, browser, or app store, but do include calling, texting, and a curated set of apps such as a camera, calendar, and calculator. Gabb also highlights a music streaming library with millions of songs. Phone pricing starts at about $159.99, with service starting around $24.99 per month.
Pinwheel gives parents approval over every app, control over contacts, screen-time scheduling, location history, and custom routines. Its standout feature is daily modes, such as allowing only calling and navigation during school hours. Phones start around $119, and the Caregiver Portal subscription starts at $14.99 per month without cell service. Pinwheel also recently launched two landline phones for $68 and $79, and sells a $160 smartwatch.
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Teracube Thrive, launched in 2022, runs a customized Android version called Thrive OS. Parents can approve app downloads, filter web browsing, set app-specific and overall screen-time limits, monitor location, and create routines for school or bedtime. Because it keeps more traditional smartphone features, it is often positioned for older kids. It currently sells for $99, with plans starting at $35 per month.
Ooma MyPhone targets families that want a home phone rather than a mobile device. It allows calls only between approved contacts through Trusted Circle, supports scheduled Quiet Hours, includes address-based 911 service, sends emergency alerts when 911 is dialed, and lets parents review call logs online. There are no apps, internet browsing, texting, or social media. The phone costs $99.99, and service starts at $7.99 per month.
Tin Can is another home-focused option, with a distinctive design inspired by its name. The $100 device connects over Wi-Fi instead of a traditional phone jack, and only approved contacts can call. Parents manage contacts through a companion app. Tin Can offers a free plan for calls between Tin Can users, plus a $9.99 per month plan for calling all approved contacts.
Gadgets Editor
Eli is obsessed with the tangible future. He reviews phones, wearables, and everything with a battery. Known for his rigorous testing protocols and unabashed teardowns, Eli has broken more review units than he cares to admit, all in the name of discovering the truth about durability and repairability.
via TechCrunch
