What Age Should a Child Get a Phone? A Parent's Guide to the First Phone

There is no single right age for a child's first phone. Some families start with a basic phone for calls and texts in elementary school. Others wait until middle school or later. What matters more than the number is whether your child is ready and whether the phone you choose fits what they actually need. Trusted organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and Common Sense Media publish guidance for parents, and it's worth reading both.

What age should a child get a phone?

Many parents start thinking about it between ages 8 and 13, often when a child begins walking home alone, joining activities or going to middle school. Instead of choosing by age, ask whether your child can follow your rules, manage their time and come to you when something goes wrong.

Questions to ask before you buy a first phone for kids

• Why do they need it? Staying in touch after school, getting home safely and school apps are different needs than "everyone else has one."
• Can they handle the responsibility? Think about bedtime rules, screen limits and how they treat other devices.
• What should they be able to reach? Calls, texts, maps, a school app, a family group chat? Write the list down.
• What should be left out? For most parents: an open web browser, social media and open app stores.
• Who decides when something new is added? The answer should be you.

The best first phone for a 10 year old (and other ages)

The best first phone depends on your child, but there are three common routes:

• A basic or flip phone: simple and low-distraction, but no maps, school or messaging apps.
• A regular smartphone with parental controls: flexible, but it's an open phone that depends on software staying switched on. See Parental Control App vs. Browser-Free Phone.
• A safe smartphone for kids with no browser: a real smartphone with the browser and open app store removed, so your child gets useful apps without an open door to the internet.

What to look for in a safe phone for kids

• Parents approve which apps are added
• No unrestricted web browsing, including inside apps
• A phone that still works as your child gets older, so you don't replace it in two years
• Clear costs for the phone, any monthly membership and cellular service
• Real support when something doesn't work

Where a Grow Phone fits

A Grow Phone is a real Samsung Galaxy smartphone with the browser and open app store removed. Your child can request apps right from their phone, and nothing is added until you approve it. Factory reset is blocked, so the protections can't be removed by resetting the phone.

For pricing, Grow Control membership and app compatibility, see the Grow Phone page.

Shop the lineup: A17 5G (best for light use), A27 5G (best value) or A57 5G (premium pick).

FAQ

Is 10 too young for a phone?

It depends on your child and your reasons. If they only need calls and texts, a basic phone or a locked-down smartphone with no browser or social media can be a gentler start.

How do I give my child a phone without social media?

Choose a phone where social media apps and the open app store aren't available, and where you approve every new app. See our guide to a smartphone without social media for teens.

How do I keep my kid safe on their first phone?

Talk openly, keep phones out of bedrooms overnight, and choose a phone you control. Read about the dangers of unfiltered smartphones for kids.