The best phones for kids — reviewed for parents

Independent reviews of purpose-built children's phones, parental-control handsets, and monitoring-focused devices. Each review covers the age range it suits, how restrictions actually work, and when children outgrow it. Research-based recommendations for parents choosing a first phone.

See best kid-safe phones →

Top pick

Best for young kids

Gabb Phone

Hardware-level restrictions mean there's no browser, no app store, and no social media — not a setting to toggle off, but a device that simply doesn't have it. GPS for parents.

Check price → Read full review

All kid-safe phones we've reviewed

Product	Review	Mechanism	Price
Gabb Phone	Read review	parental-controls	device under $100 + plan	Buy →
Pinwheel	Read review	parental-controls	around $150 + subscription	Buy →
Bark Phone	Read review	monitoring	under $100 + subscription	Buy →

Reviews

Gabb Phone colorful smartphone-style device for children

Kid-Safe Phones

Gabb Phone Review (2026): Best First Phone for Young Kids

A purpose-built kids' phone where the restrictions are hardware-level — there is no browser to find, no app store to open, and no social media to stumble into.

Pinwheel Android smartphone with colorful parent-managed interface

Kid-Safe Phones

Pinwheel Review (2026): The Best Kid-Safe Phone for Tweens

An Android phone with parent-controlled permissions that can grow with the child — the middle path between a locked-down kids' phone and an unrestricted smartphone.

Bark Phone Android smartphone with Bark monitoring software

Kid-Safe Phones

Bark Phone Review (2026): AI Monitoring for Teens Who Need More Independence

The monitoring-first approach to kids' phones — Bark's AI watches for concerning content and alerts parents, rather than blocking everything upfront.