In case you have determined it’s time to your little one to have their first cell phone, or they’re due an improve, the selection may be bewildering.

There are numerous issues to contemplate, from the handset and the cell service to go along with it, to parental controls and the way effectively the cellphone suits in with the gadgets you already use.

A hand-me-down

The best choice may be the cellphone you will have in your hand, notably in case you are hoping to switch it. With somewhat little bit of cleansing, a brand new battery and a good case, it may be simply the ticket to your little one, so long as it nonetheless has software program help.

Battery replacements sometimes value £50 to £100 relying on the mannequin, and your familiarity with it should make it simpler to wipe and arrange to your little one.

A fundamental cellphone

If the handset is just for entry to calls and texts for arranging pickups and emergency contacts, then a fundamental “dumb” cellphone is the reply. Nokia makes a spread of characteristic telephones such because the 110 and 225 that value about £20 to £50. Whichever mannequin you select, ensure it helps 4G, as 3G providers within the UK are steadily being switched off over the following few years.

Price range Android

A funds Android cellphone could possibly be a superb place to begin. There are a number of fashions at concerning the £80 to £150 mark that provide a stable expertise. They received’t be quick however sometimes have giant screens and respectable battery life.

Keep away from fashions working Android Go or with out entry to the Play Retailer and Google providers. By way of software program help, examine how lengthy is left, which at that form of value is often solely two to a few years from the cellphone’s first launch, not the purpose at which you purchase it.

Be sure good circumstances can be found for the cellphone, too, and a few stage of water resistance might be a good suggestion.

Nokia has a spread of Androids out there and presents longer software program help than many. The Nokia G22 prices about £130, has Android 12 with safety updates till April 2026, fundamental water resistance, and may be repaired at house if one thing will get damaged.

Motorola has some equally good-value choices. The Moto G13 prices about £130 and has Android 13 with safety updates till January 2026.

The Galaxy A14 may be a better option in case you are a Samsung household. It prices about £150, has Android 13 with safety updates till January 2027, and extra third-party case choices however lacks any formal water resistance.

Google Pixel 6a

In case you are searching for one thing higher for an older little one, Google’s Pixel 6a was a cut price in 2022 and is a steal at about £300 in the present day. It presents 80% of the high-end cellphone expertise with top-of-the-line cameras you may get, high efficiency, stable battery life, correct water resistance, software program updates till July 2027 and loads of case choices – there’s nothing funds concerning the 6a.

Apple iPhone

In case you are an Apple household, your choices are a bit extra restricted. The most affordable new iPhone is the 2022 iPhone SE at about £450, which presents a stable, if costly, route into the Apple ecosystem.

Refurbished fashions could also be extra economical. The 2020 iPhone SE prices about £130 refurbished and can in all probability be supported with updates for at the least three years. The bottom 64GB storage is a bit tight however the cellphone is water-resistant, and there are buckets of third-party circumstances out there. A battery service from Apple for it prices £69, ought to that be required.

For newer fashions with Face ID and longer help, the iPhone 12 mini at about £300 or the regular-sized iPhone 12 at about £320 refurbished may be good choices.

Community service

With the best handset chosen, subsequent comes a selection of cellphone service. A lot of the networks block 18-plus content material by default over the cell connection however some provide extra superior controls on high, so it’s price checking they do what you want.

The most affordable starter choice is a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) sim card. All the big networks present them, though some, similar to O2’s giffgaff, specialize in offering better-value packs or bundles of minutes, texts and information that you just purchase for a month at a time.

Test the community protection round you earlier than deciding. PAYG sims are often free, so you may all the time take a look at them out first should you dwell in a weak sign space.

For heavier customers, PAYG is often costlier than a contract however you should use managing credit score, minutes, texts and information to show monetary accountability. And as soon as the credit score runs out, there’s no probability of invoice shock.

In the meantime, a sim-only plan sometimes consists of an allowance of minutes, texts and information on a rolling month-to-month, yearly or longer foundation. Month-to-month contracts present better flexibility to vary issues however are often somewhat costlier.

The most effective-value offers can sometimes be discovered with the smaller digital networks similar to Tesco, Asda, iD Cellular or Smarty, with many to select from. Test the protection is true to your space. Most will can help you set spending caps and block premium-rate texts and third-party costs to keep away from invoice shock.

Then there are household plans. If your loved ones already makes use of one explicit community for his or her telephones, including one other line to your current plan may be cost-effective and simple to handle with one invoice. A lot of the massive networks present reductions for added strains, whereas some, similar to EE, permit you share information out of your plan with different sims on an advert hoc foundation.

Whereas some parental controls can be found on all networks, should you want one thing stronger, ParentShield from Derby-based Engine Cellular guarantees a “child-safe” community by offering intensive instruments. These embody permitting mother and father to learn all texts, file all calls, set alerts for regarding phrases or phrases in messages and block all premium-rate providers.

The plans are sometimes costlier, beginning at about £10 a month, and received’t assist prohibit content material whereas the cellphone is on wifi however could possibly be a superb answer.

Beneath 13: they want a toddler account

Apple and Google present the power to create little one accounts for these below 13 years previous which can be linked to your individual account, permitting them to make use of an iPhone or Android gadget.

Which one you create will in all probability be based mostly on which platform you utilize because the guardian. For instance, should you use an Android cellphone with a Google account, will probably be a lot simpler to handle your little one’s utilization as a part of your loved ones account.

Parental controls

Even when your little one is sufficiently old to have their very own account on their cellphone, you may apply varied parental controls on both an Android cellphone or iPhone at setup by connecting it to your account or a household account.

Each platforms can set display closing dates, block sure apps, restrict age-appropriate content material within the app retailer, put limits on permissions similar to entry to the digicam, and can help you monitor their location.

It’s price having a dig via Apple’s parental controls and Google’s Household Hyperlink guides to get the settings proper.