Best Phones For Teens
Getting a phone for your teenager?
Teenagers have a lot going on and they’re often out and about. Giving your teen a phone not only allows them to engage with friends & family, but the right phone can help parents by giving them insight into their child’s world. In addition to a phone that’s safe, your teenager will want a phone that’s “cool,” – which means they don’t want something that screams “I’m a kid phone.” These factors are taken into account when discussing the best phone for your teenager.
Best Phones For Teens
Let’s take a look at some of the best phones for teenagers.
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For more information on safer teen phones, please see below.
Things To Consider
If your teen wants or needs a phone, you’ll likely want a phone that is a good balance between parental oversight and something your kid will actually like & use.
For parents & caregivers, phones discussed here give the ability to see the child’s texts, as well as limit their app use.
For teens, these phones will have a variety of limited functions – ranging from very limited apps to a full app store with parental approval required.
Features For Parents
There are great phones for teens available whether you want them to have limited functions or a wide array of functionality.
Kid’s phones like Gabb, Pinwheel, and Troomi have limited app options, no internet by default, and no social media. This limited function is great for younger kids but makes these phones more difficult to grow with your teenager.
Bark stands apart here as the only kid’s phone with the ability to access the full Google App Play Store & internet. Parents still have control in that they can block any app (including browsers & the app store), and all app downloads must be approved.
Phone Features For Teens
All the kid’s phones here come with the ability to talk, text, take pictures, and other basic functions you would expect on a phone. Some of the limited functions (like app & internet access) are great for parents, but become a harder sell for teens as they become more independent and their social circles grow.
The Bark Phone’s ability to give parents ultimate control of app & internet access, as well as its ability to use AI to monitor texts and over 30 other popular apps, make it a great balance between parental controls & teenage independence. You can give them more freedom while knowing Bark’s AI is monitoring activity for concerns.
| The Bark Phone is the best phone for kids under 9. Bark's powerful Operating System, flexibility, and monitoring AI make it a good, safe phone for young children and the first phone for your kid. The phone's flexibility makes it so that parents can limit the phone to talk & text only, or, only allow a few apps that you deem appropriate. |
| Gabb Wireless While not our favorite, they're still a good option for younger kids. The lack of internet access, internet browsers, and an app store make this good if you want a phone that only has the essentials - talk, text, GPS tracking, and a kid first approach to funcionality. |
| Troomi If you're wondering why Troomi is rated higher overall, but lower for young kids - it's because Troomi does a better job allowing flexibility to grow with your child in the long term, but Gabb's limitations are better for young children in the short term. |
| Pinwheel A good phone that allows some flexibility as your child grows. The lack of internet and a full app store is ideal for children under 9. |