Best Phones for Kids in 2026 – Parent Tested and Approved

Your kid needs a phone that protects them from online dangers and enforces healthy screen time habits. We trust these three phones to do the job. After surveying 1,000 parents about their top safety concerns and testing 11 phone models hands-on, we chose Gabb, Bark and Pinwheel as the best phones for kid ages 10-18. safety in 2026. For those under 10, we recommend smartwatches for kids instead.

We adults are obsessed with our smartphones, so it only makes sense that our kids want one, too. But first, it's important to decide if your child is ready for a phone. According to the National Institute of Health, around 53% of children have a smartphone by age 11.¹  

With social media and open browsers comes a lot of inappropriate content and wider access to the world (which includes friendly and malicious users alike); your child may not be ready for a smartphone phone until the age of 12 or 13.

Ultimately, it comes down to you and your child and how you want to handle access to the internet. Our favorite phones for kids strike a balance between features kids love and age-appropriate guardrails set by parents. 

Balancing cost, functionality, and protection is essential for making a smart investment in your child’s first phone. 

The Gabb Phone 4 is a good starter phone for kids thanks to zero internet access and almost no apps. The Gabb Phone 4 has improved battery life, larger display size, free cloud backup, and the promise of Gabb Music Plus compatibility.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a grow-with-you phone, so it’s not ideal for older teens unless you have a reason to keep them totally offline. 

We chose the Bark Phone as the overall best kids phone because it offers exceptional content monitoring across texts, emails, and social media messages, whereas most kids phones and parental control apps only monitor text messages. We trust Bark because we tested its alert system and found the notifications were accurate and fast. Bark alerts even included helpful guidance for parents. 

We also love that parents can toggle certain features on and off as needed, including social media and internet access. The Bark Phone's emphasis on parental control and approval means it can be adapted to virtually any parenting style, age, or maturity level, but most features require an Advanced Plan, which starts at $39 per month.

• Go ahead and buy the Bark Phone if you want robust online protection and thorough message monitoring without necessarily restricting your child's usage.
• Keep shopping if you want to keep monthly fees to a minimum.

We chose Pinwheel as the best kids phone for families because it offers a 15% multi-line discount, five phones with different specs and prices, and multiple carrier options. All of these options help families keep costs low while tailoring the phones to each child.

Plus, the Pinwheel operating system is designed for customization. Parents can choose different permission settings for each of their kids to match their digital readiness. 

Pinwheel phones also work with the Bark parental control app, so you can reap the benefits of Bark's email and message monitoring without paying higher monthly fees for the Bark Phone. 

• Go ahead and buy a Pinwheel Phone if you want to use a specific cellular network or want a family plan that caters to diverse ages and needs.
• Keep shopping if you want a phone that allows social media apps to be downloaded (with permission). 

In May 2024, we surveyed 1,000 parents. Access to inappropriate content was their biggest safety concern, and cyberbullying was fourth. Based on these results, we also prioritized message monitoring, web filtering, and optional internet access when comparing kids phones.

We also conducted hands-on testing of the top kids smartphones, including the Gabb z2 Phone (discontinued), Gabb Phone Plus (discontinued), Gabb Phone 4, Gabb Phone 4 Pro, Bark Phone, Pinwheel Slim, and Teracube Thrive. This gave us a chance to test usability, web filters, and messaging alerts. The more parental control options, the better. 

While we ultimately favored the grow-with-you phones that allow parents to lift or implement restrictions as needed, we understand the popularity of bare-bones kids phones. Both types of phones appear on our list so that parents can choose what works best for them. 

While phones for kids aren't especially common, the few models that exist are all high quality. We like Gabb's phone a good introduction for your kid's first phone. The Bark Phone is comprehensive, with a laundry list of parental controls and message monitoring, but it's admittedly expensive—especially for more than one kid.

Thankfully, budget-friendly options like Pinwheel also shield children from the uglier side of the internet while teaching them responsible device usage.

1. Richter, Adkins, Selkie, "Youth Perspectives on the Recommended Age of Mobile Phone Adoption: Survey Study," October 2022. Accessed August 18, 2025.