As kids grow up, they'll soon start demanding a mobile phone of their own. While you may initially baulk at the idea of letting your child loose with their very own pocket pal, there are actually some positives to mobile phone ownership.
Being able to contact your child when they're out of the home can give you extra peace of mind and can make the logistics of after school activities a whole lot easier to manage. Similarly, your child will feel happier if they can call you in an emergency.
However, since most mobile phones these days are smartphones, giving your child a phone will also be giving them unrestricted access to the internet, and everything that goes with it. For this reason, it's important to talk to your child about staying safe online if you're thinking of getting them a phone.
Aside of dealing with online safety, there are many other considerations to bear in mind when selecting a phone for your child. Let's find out what you need to think about.
Do they really need a smartphone?
One of the first things to establish is what you're giving your child a phone for. If you just want an emergency phone for them to keep in the bottom of their bag, a non-smart device will be a better choice.
Simple mobile phones like the bottom end Nokias and cheap Alcatels can be picked up for less than £50, and often have immense battery life. For example, the re-released Nokia 3310 can be found for £49 and packs in 22 hours of talk time or as much as a month on standby!
Of course, most kids will be keen to get a phone that does more than talk and text (and play Snake of course), but for the youngest children, a simple phone may well be enough. Find out more about cheap mobile phones in our guide here.
How much do you want to spend?
If what you want is something your kid can play games on, take photos with and generally be proud to own, then you're in the market for a smartphone. Buying a smartphone can be a daunting prospect, with most of the big name phones coming in at over £600 (and one or two at more than £1,000!).
However, you don't need to break the bank to get a good, solid smartphone that your child will be happy with. We've found a number of phones in the sub £300 price bracket which perform just as well as the big brand models.
It can be tempting to take out a contract that comes with a phone wrapped into it, but in general you'll save money if you can afford to buy the phone outright. This will enable you to shop around for SIM only deals, which can be much more affordable than paying back a phone.
We've reviewed some of the best low cost SIM only deals here, and you can find out more about SIM only deals in our guide here.
What do you want from a phone?
When you're choosing a phone for your child, it's best not to get them the latest, greatest flagship phone. Chances are they're going to lose it at some point, so try to keep it on the budget side to avoid heartache. Insurance, of course, is a must.
Having said that, you don't want to buy something that will be frustrating to use. Super slow processing and incompatibility with the latest games will disappoint your child, so make sure it's a capable model. Oh, and don't even think about buying a phone that doesn't have a selfie camera!
You should also look for a phone that's relatively robust. Trust us, they will drop it. Lots. Buying a protective case and good screen protector will go some way to reducing the risk of damage but having a good solid model in the first place is a great strategy too.
With many kids exposed to tablet use well before they get their first phone, they'll be used to a larger screen. However, large format phones or phablets are harder to hold onto and tend to smash more readily when they're dropped.
Deciding between Android and iOS should come high on your decision tree too. Although iPhones tend to be pricier, they do have better security and tend to go wrong less often. We've compared the two ecosystems in this guide here, which should help you make your choice.
Great phones for kids
We've discovered a bunch of phones in the sub £300 price category which any kid would be delighted to get their hands on. Here's our pick of five of the best smartphones for kids in 2019.
1. Sony Xperia XA1
If your child loves photography, this is an awesome phone for its camera capabilities. Featuring a 23MP sensory, it has lots of in built image processing to make every shot look amazing. It's a bit square looking, but overall a nice phone that can be picked up for as little as £129.
2. iPhone SE
If you left it up to their kid, they'd probably choose an iPhone. Apple's solid marketing efforts have reached every corner of society, so if nothing but an iPhone will do, this is a pretty good compromise. Priced at around £240, it won't break the bank, and you'll get all the benefits Apple's high security, low fault system without spending four figures on a handset.
3. Samsung Galaxy A3
For a big brand name with a pocket friendly price, you can't fault the A3. It's got an amazing HD screen and the internal specs are very good for the money. Even better, it's got waterproofing built in, and a convenient fingerprint scanner lock for security. Priced at around £279, this is a good first Android for any child.
4. Honor Play
For a fast, reliable smartphone with excellent mobile gaming capabilities, you can't go wrong with the Honor Play. With a fast Kirin 970 CPU and a beautiful 6.3 inch display, the performance of this budget friendly smartphone is amazing for the £279 price tag.
5. Moto E5 Plus
This is a nice looking phone at a very nice price; just £140 on Amazon at the moment. The massive 5,000mAh battery will give your child a full day of use, even if they are on Fortnite for an hour or two.
There are lots more phones out there that won't break the bank but will still offer your child a great mobile experience. As well as looking at the features and functions of the phone, be sure to make sure it offers good security too. More information on this is available in our guide.
Which network?
While having your child's phone on the same network as yours can be beneficial, allowing free calls between the two phones, it's worth reviewing other offers out here too. Some providers offer additional services which might save you some cash (or stress) too.
Three offer a £15 SIM only deal which comes with a massive 12GB of data. Not only that, but their Go Binge feature means your kid can watch shows on Netflix and listen to music through Deezer or Apple Music without it coming out of their data.
Some providers offer additional security for mobile phones, such as TalkTalk's Mobile Safe app. This allows you to restrict access to certain websites, block unwanted calls and locate your phone (and your child) remotely. Other networks allow the user to call a designated number at any time, even if the device has run out of credit.
If you've got a contract phone on BT, or are looking for a new contract yourself, this operator offers a Family SIM deal which is worth considering. While the first SIM on the deal is on a 12 month contract, the second can be taken on a rolling 30 day contract, giving you more flexibility over your child's mobile privileges.
Making sure your child has good network coverage will be a top consideration too. You can check which networks have the best coverage in our guide.
If you have a phone you want to give your child, but it's locked to the wrong network, find out how you can unlock a phone in our guide. And finally, make sure your network operator offers amazing customer service by checking out our guide here.
Stop them running up unexpected charges
You need to have a conversation about premium rate numbers, often used for competitions. These can be phone numbers starting 09, 084, 087 or 118, or can also be six digit text numbers. Just one text can cost as much as £5, so help your child be savvy about what numbers they use with their phone.
Picture messaging, also known as MMS, frequently catches out text happy kids and their parents. Inserting an emoji into a text message turns that text into an MMS. The text doesn't even need to contain a picture, as messages over 160 characters will also be converted to MMS format.
MMS are rarely included as part of your messaging service and can cost around 50p a time to send. Encourage your child to use messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Messenger to send images, gifs and emojis instead to avoid an unexpected charge.
In game purchases can really cost big bucks, and game developers are getting very clever about the ways in which they extract money from their users. Some will even allow purchases to be made by billing the mobile phone itself, so you won't know about it until you get the bill later in the month.
To avoid this, have your child become part of your family group on either Android or Apple. On an Android device, you can add purchase approval settings in the Play Store app. On Apple, you can use Ask to Buy to make sure you pre-approve anything your kid wants to download or buy.
Other things to be aware of
Aside of running up expected bills, there are some other phone features to be aware of and discuss with your child. One of these is Bluetooth.
Bluetooth is a type of wireless connection, usually used when connecting with wireless speakers or headphones. However, if Bluetooth is on, any nearby devices can find it and potentially send photos to your child's phone. On younger children's phones, turn it off, and if older kids need it on for their headphones or speakers, advise them never to open an image from a stranger.
Images work both ways and having their very own camera in their pocket is a great way for your child to explore their creativity. However, taking inappropriate photographs, particularly if they then share them to social media, could get them into trouble with their friends or school. Talk to them about appropriate use of images and what the consequences could be.
Social networks are a minefield for young people, so be sure to discuss thoroughly what they should and shouldn't do. Remember, only children over 13 should have access to social media. For more information on staying safe on social, check our guide here.
Many phones have GPS built in for functions such as Google Maps. However, if your child doesn't have their privacy settings locked down on Facebook and WhatsApp, their location could be available for any of their 'friends' to see. Always set a child's privacy to max to avoid silly mistakes.
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