For some parents, the absolute best mobile for kids is no mobile at all. 

For others, it's the one you're comfortable with them having.

One they can use safely and responsibly while sticking to any rules you laid out for them.

So which to choose?

From simple mobiles ideal for children to affordable options for teens or young adults... this guide will show you what we think are the best options for 2022!

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for 2022


Best For: Kids of All Ages

Mobiles with Basic Calling and GPS Tracking

Nokia 5710 XA

The Nokia 5710 XA is a perfect choice for any kid who loves music. It features microSD card support so they can store their favourite songs and FM radio support for listening without the need for data. It even stores a pair of wireless earbuds in the back of the phone for private listening.

Of course, it does all of the basic phone tasks as well—including calling, texting, basic calendar management, and contact management. But there are not a ton of apps to lure kids in or distract them from their daily activities.

Overall, it's a solid option with more battery life than you'll find on any smartphone and an interesting design that won't feel quite so old to young kids.

Learn More: Full Review

Nokia 225 4G

If you’re looking for something a little more like a traditional mobile, the Nokia 225 4G offers similar features in a classic candybar format. 

The mobile offers MP3 playback, a camera, and headphone support—through both Bluetooth and a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can even put a microSD card in to add more storage if you'd like.

It's a modern take on the basic mobile. And while it doesn't offer all of the bells and whistles of a smartphone, it still looks cool enough that the kids might not mind carrying it around.

Learn More: Full Review


Best For: Teens or Young Adults

Affordable, full-featured smartphones for accident-prone teens

While the original iPhone and early Android mobiles forever changed the way the world communicates, smartphones aren’t the revolutionary things they once were.

Today, you can find Android mobiles for under $100 that would run circles around these earlier devices. Jump into the mid-$100s and you have a full line of options that are more than enough for most teens.

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

Unless you'd prefer an Android device, the Apple iPhone SE (2022) offers everything a kid could really need in a mobile. The camera is stellar, performance is only topped by other iPhones, and there is an endless array of accessories available to help them personalize it and make it their own.

It's also water-resistant to help avoid accidental damage. With AppleCare+, you can help to mitigate any pain should the mobile meet an untimely end though.

The biggest issue is storage. Since you can't expand iPhone storage, it might be better to overestimate than buy the base model and find it's not quite enough for all of the photos, videos, music, and apps your kid wants.

Learn More: Full Review

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (what a mouthful!) is a solid mid-tier Android option for any parent looking for a capable-yet-affordable mobile for their teens. It offers 5G network support for snappy streaming, plenty of performance for daily communications and light gaming, ample storage, and a camera that won't disappoint too much.

Learn More: Full Review


Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro

If your kid prefers to game or is a mobile power user, the Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro is an excellent value that packs a surprising spec sheet. There's ample processing power for the latest games, a big battery for all-day use, a decent enough display, and easy-to-use Android software.

However, these come at the expense of a weaker camera and the fact that this mobile is both large and heavy. 

But for the right kid, it will definitely please!

Learn More: Full Review


What We Looked for In Our Picks

While the exact features you might need will differ based on the age of your child and what you want them to do (or not be able to do) with their mobile, we felt these considerations offered benefits to any age group.

Affordability: Even as adults, accidents happen. Handing a kid a £1000 mobile sounds like a recipe for disaster to us.

Kid-Centric Features: While a kid can use almost any device out there—sometimes better than us—we wanted to find options that offered specific benefits to a range of ages and skill levels.

Good Battery Life: If the mobile only lasts a couple of hours before it dies, it’s not going to do much to keep the kids from coming after your mobile to play games. If you’re using it for emergency calling or to keep tabs on their location, extended battery life also adds peace of mind.

Durability: While the rugged options out there are probably out of the price range of most kids' phone budgets, we wanted to find options that will stand up to the occasional tumble and deal with being tossed in a bag or sat on from time to time.


Keeping Your Kid's Mobile Safe

Regardless of which mobile you choose, have options to help encourage healthy habits and discourage your kids from using their mobiles in ways you wouldn't approve of.

Parental control apps and services let you track what your child does with their mobile device or place restrictions on features.

Options for Basic Mobiles

Most major networks offer a form of parental control or allow you to limit the number of minutes, messages, or data your child or teen can use.

These network services are basic at best but can be effective in teaching healthy habits or keeping the kids from blowing through all of the data on your plan.

Options for Smartphones

The parental controls available increase greatly if your child has a smartphone.

In addition to the features offered by your network, there's also a range of apps available. 

These apps help you restrict everything from the sites your child browses and apps they download to when and how they can use their mobiles.

Android mobiles (with Android 7.0 or newer) can download Google's Family Link. It has an easy-to-use set of controls and integrates directly into the mobile's software.

To use the service you install two apps. One on your child's mobile to add protection and the other, a parental version, on your mobile to control features.

Apple offers a similar feature on all iPhones and iPads running iOS 12 or newer called Screen Time.

It allows you to set what content can be viewed based on ratings, control purchases, track usage, and more.

It's also built into the mobile's software, so there's no need to install anything extra—and the kids can't uninstall the app either.

You can configure settings directly on your child's device or using your own iPhone or iPad. For a full list of features and instructions, consult Apple's Screen Time support page.

There is also a range of third-party options available including:

Each of these works a little differently and costs vary. However, most offer free trials or feature-limited versions so you can try before you buy to see which is best for you and your kids.

However, none of them can take the place of honest discussions with your kids about their mobile habits, the occasional check-in to ensure they're being healthy about their usage, and establishing clear rules surrounding mobile use so your kids know exactly where they stand with you.


Mobile Alternatives for Kids

Depending on your kids’ wants and needs, they might not need a full-time mobile of their own. We’ve found a few options that might work for extremely light use or situations where calling or mobile data service isn’t required.

1. Add mobile Features to a Tablet 

Own a Tablet? You can use apps to simulate many features of a smartphone. With regular access to Wi-Fi, you might get away without any monthly cost at all!

How do I do that?

There’s a good chance your kids already have Google or Facebook accounts. If so, both Messenger and Google Hangouts allow voice calling over Wi-Fi. If you’d prefer to keep your kids off social media, Viber and WhatsApp offer voice calling features as well—though their friends will need to have the app too.

And what if I want a more phone-like experience?

As long as the tablet has a microphone, you can use magicApp or Google Voice to add a mobile number to it for a small yearly subscription fee. This number can send and receive text messages and place calls to other mobiles or landlines. 


2. Kids' Smartwatches and Trackers

While not exactly a mobile, some smartwatches will offer data connectivity, basic communications, GPS tracking and more in a design likely to withstand the abuse of tiny hands and an active life.

Just keep in mind that you'll likely need to add the watch to your mobile plan and pay for data every month. Some also require another mobile device to initialize or change settings. So reading reviews and instructions can help to avoid frustration after you've already spent your hard-earned money.


3. Upcycle an Old Mobile

The old mobile collecting dust in your office drawer might be a great fit for your teen. You've already bought it, so you don't have to worry about costs should they break it. Networks will also unlock mobiles for free in most cases as long as you've met their conditions to use them with a new network.

For even more savings, you can use the method listed above for tablets and iPod touches to use VoIP instead. However, if your teen is on the go, they might have trouble using features unless Wi-Fi access is nearby.


4. No Mobile at All!

Although the number of younger kids with mobiles is increasing—and they might tell you all their friends have one—there was a time when we all made it through our day without one.

Just because they want it, doesn't mean they need it.

Concerns about privacy, online harassment, and exposure to content you don't want children seeing are very real.

Mobiles can also become addictive distractions for some children.

And once you open the floodgate, it can be hard to wrangle back control of their usage.

If these concerns or any other has you holding out and feeling that the best mobile for your kids is none at all, you won't be alone.

There's nothing wrong with no mobile at all.


Your Turn

Ultimately, it is up to you to know what features are best for your child and what you’re comfortable with. We hope this guide helped to highlight the best options out there and answer any questions you might have.

If you’re one of the many parents out there that think cell phones and kids shouldn’t mix, let us know why in the comments! On the other side, if this guide helped you find the perfect mobile for your kid or we missed a question you might have, we’d love to hear from you too!


Disclosure: You should know that in some cases, we may receive a referral fee (at no additional cost to you) for products purchased through the links on our site. These links help support our work but they do not influence our content. Our editorial recommendations are always genuine and we try to feature only the best products and services. Why trust us?