Phones for kids: a complete UK guide
The complete UK guide to phones for kids – every option by age and type, what actually makes one safer, and how to choose the right one for your child.
Read the complete guide to phones for kids
Parent guides
Guides for choosing a first phone
Objective, evidence-based guides for one of the most stressful decisions in modern parenting. No scare tactics, no hard sell – just what the UK data and experts actually say, and a sensible way to decide for your own child.
Best first phone for kids: an objective buying guide
There isn’t one ‘best’ first phone, only the right one for your child. A fair look at every option, from basic phones to safer smartphones, and how to choose.
Read the guideWhat age should a child get a phone?
There’s no magic number, but there is good evidence. What UK data, the NSPCC and child-development experts say about the right age for a first phone, and a practical way to decide for your child.
Read the guideBest phone for a 10 or 11 year old
Ten and eleven is when most UK children get their first phone, at the jump to secondary school. What to weigh for this exact age, the real options, and how to decide.
Read the guideBest phone for a 12 year old
Starting Year 7 or already there? What actually changes at twelve, what schools now expect, and every option weighed for the secondary-school moment.
Read the guideiPhone with Screen Time vs a kids’ phone
Thinking of an old iPhone with Screen Time instead of a purpose-built kids’ phone? A straight comparison of what each actually does, the real costs, and what happens as your child grows.
Read the guideOld iPhone as a first phone? Assistive Access explained
Got a spare iPhone in a drawer? Apple’s Assistive Access can lock it down into a free first phone. When that works, when it doesn’t, and what to check first.
Read the guideSayph vs Pinwheel
Two phones, two philosophies: Pinwheel’s curated app library or Sayph’s no-app-store line. Prices, monitoring and how to choose.
Read the comparisonSayph vs HMD Fuse
A contract smartphone that grows with your child, or a SIM-free phone that holds the line? Costs and philosophy, compared straight.
Read the comparisonSayph vs OtherPhone
OtherPhone filters what appears on screen; Sayph leaves the risky apps off entirely. Price, philosophy and safety, compared side by side.
Read the comparisonPinwheel alternatives UK
Weighing Pinwheel against the rest of the UK field? Sayph, HMD Fuse, OtherPhone, Wingio and more, with real prices and a straight steer on which suits whom.
Read the guideHMD Fuse alternatives
Like the Fuse’s idea but not the £498 handset or the contract? Every cheaper, simpler and SIM-free alternative in the UK, compared straight.
Read the guideWill my child be left out without a phone?
The fear of leaving a child out ends most parents’ resolve. What social exclusion actually involves, what the evidence says, and how families hold the line without isolating their child.
Read the guideWhatsApp and your child
It looks like simple texting. For many children it is their first social network. What sits behind the little green icon, and the questions to ask before you say yes.
Read the guideWhat happens when they turn 14?
At 13, the law and the platforms hand a chunk of the decision to your child, ready or not. What that means for choosing a first phone, and how to keep the timeline yours.
Read the guide