Loading...Most kids these days have phones and even smartphones, and if you want to keep up with what your children are doing, find out where they are at and communicate with them on a daily basis, you’re probably going to have to purchase one. But what are the best smartphones for children, and why?
Older Phone Models
Most parents choose more budget friendly options for their kids, so you might want to do the same. You can get your kids a cool phone that is one or two generations back for about half the price or less of a newer phone. As you probably know, even a slightly older smartphone will be great for your kids, so you can look into these options
- iPhone 4 – Usually free with 2 year contract
- iPhone 4s – Usually $49-$99 with 2 year contract
- Sony Ericson experia Play -Free from Verizon with contract
- Samsung Galaxy – Free with 2 year contract
Other great affordable phones for children include lesser known models such as Pantech, LG and etc. Usually these phone models are much less popular and therefore more likely to be free or nearly so with a contract.
Features to Look For
Another thing you’re going to want to consider when purchasing smartphone for your kids is what it does. Most of the time your kids are going to want to text and play games without needing too many other features. Therefore you do want a phone with access to a good app store; this usually means choosing something more popular such as an Android, Blackberry or iOS. You can also consider having a talk with your kids about what features they want.
How to Control Your Kids On A Phone
Statistics say that 70% or more of kids with a phone will use it in ways you probably didn’t intend. Cyber bullying, sexting and even exchanging naughty pictures is rampant throughout high schools today, so you’re going to have to exercise caution and be strict about what your kids are allowed to do.
Although some phones come with light parental control settings, the protection offered them by are often weak and unreliable. You can overcome this problem through the use of a third-party monitoring solution to keep an eye on what your kids are up to. One way to go about it is to restrict the scope of monitoring kids’ cell phone activity to text messages through the use of apps like sms tracker. The limited scope delivers enough information to help you relax, while giving kids just about enough privacy to keep them content. For even greater awareness and hence better protection, you can opt for a more comprehensive monitoring solution that is capable of keeping tabs on everything from texts and emails to internet activity and actual GPS location
Finally, have a talk with your kids about phone safety, the dangers of the internet and what it is appropriate for them to do with their phone.
You and your kids can choose a great phone for free with a 2 year contract, or even get a newer model with a few more features if you choose. However, options such as the Android phones are still incredibly hip and popular while being less expensive than the newest models.