Updated November 12, 2026Agent researchedEditor reviewed

Kids' phones, tablets and devices

A first phone or tablet is less a purchase than a set of decisions: which account it runs on, who can approve what, and where it lives at night. The device matters less than the setup, and the setup is mostly free.

Reviewed by SafeMama editorial · November 11, 2026

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Settle three things before the device arrives: whose account it runs on, which controls you will switch on the first day, and where it charges overnight. Apple and Google both build a parent-managed child account into their devices, so the first job is usually setup, not shopping. Buy new only for a reason you can name.

Start with the account, not the device

A child's first phone or tablet comes with a decision most families make by default: whose login does it run on? That choice decides what you can see, what you can approve and what you can switch off from your own phone.

Apple and Google both build a parent-managed child account into their devices. On an iPhone or iPad it runs through Family Sharing, with Ask to Buy for purchases and downloads. On Android phones, tablets and Chromebooks it is Google Family Link. Both are covered by a step-by-step guide here:

Set one of them up before the device is handed over. It is easier to start with the rules on than to add them later.

What can go wrong on a new device

Most early problems with a first device are ordinary ones rather than dramatic ones:

Purchases and downloads. Apps, in-app purchases and game currencies, approved by nobody.
Contact. Strangers, or people you did not know your child was talking to, reaching them through messages, calls or games.
Location. Location sharing left on with apps or people you would not choose.
Bedtime. A device that sleeps in the bedroom tends to be used there.

Each has a built-in control on the device, except chat inside games and social apps, which is set in the app itself (see apps, games and social media). The full parental controls guide walks the order we suggest, and the screen time guidance covers the hours question.

The free-first stance

Check what the device already does before buying anything for it. The FTC's guidance on parental controls describes the common jobs: managing time, restricting content, getting information about activity, limiting who a child can communicate with, and restricting purchases. The built-in tools from Apple and Google cover those jobs, and nobody is advertising them to you.

A paid app is worth a look only once you can name a gap the built-in controls leave. Our assessment of parental control apps says which gaps they close.

Kids' smartwatches

A kids' smartwatch sits between a phone and a tracker: it can usually call and text a short list of approved contacts and share its location with a parent. The makers' own pages describe what each does. These are examples of the category, not recommendations:

Apple Watch for a family member. Apple's support page says a parent can set restrictions in Screen Time, use Schooltime to limit watch features during school hours, choose trusted contacts, and let the child share their location. The child does not need their own iPhone, but you need an iPhone and a Family Sharing group, and Apple says some features depend on a companion iPhone. It needs a cellular model of Apple Watch. Apple says a cellular plan is not required for setup but is needed for some features, and that some carriers do not support it.
Garmin Bounce. Garmin's 2022 launch announcement says it offers two-way text and voice messaging and real-time location to the Garmin Jr. app on a parent's phone, and that it needs an active subscription plan and LTE connectivity. The model may have changed since then, so check the current page.
Fitbit Ace LTE. Google's help page says the child can call and message parents and trusted contacts, and that this needs an active Ace Pass subscription.
Verizon Gizmo Watch 3. Verizon's page says it allows up to 20 approved contacts, including the primary guardian, and that parents can set safe zones and get a notification when a child moves between them.
Gabb Watch. Gabb's page lists GPS tracking, safe contacts, and calling and texting, with a service plan sold on one-year or two-year contract terms.

What that means before you buy:

Several of these need a plan on top of the price of the watch. Read the monthly cost and any contract term first.
Check who the child can reach. An approved-contacts list is the main control, so find out who sets it and from where.
Check what the parent can see. Several share live location with a parent app. Decide whether you want that, and tell your child.
Compare with a hand-me-down phone with a child account. A watch is a good fit for a child who needs to reach you but is not ready for a full phone. It is one more thing to charge and keep updated.

What to check before you buy

If you do decide a new device is the right call, check these first:

Which ecosystem you are in. Apple's controls are managed from a parent's Apple device. Google's Family Link app runs on a parent's Android phone or iPhone, but supervises only Android devices and Chromebooks.
Whether a hand-me-down would do. A used device with a freshly created child account is often enough.
The full monthly cost. Some phones sold for children need the maker's own wireless plan on top of the handset price. Read the listing for exactly what is required, and whether the phone works on other networks.
How long it will get updates. Ask the maker how long the device will receive security updates. A cheap device that stops updating is a poor bargain.
What it can do without you. Check that the controls work wherever the device goes, not only at home.
Where it sleeps. Agree a charging spot outside the bedroom before the device arrives, so it is a house rule rather than a negotiation.

Controls are a start, not the whole job

The Surgeon General's advisory recommends a family media plan and tech-free zones. Write the rules down together, include yourself, and revisit them as your child grows. Software can enforce part of that plan. It cannot hold the conversation for you.

How we choose

We start from the question of whether a new device is needed at all, because a hand-me-down with the maker's own controls switched on does the same job for less. When a purchase is worth it, we look at the account and control tools around the device before the hardware, and we say plainly what a plan or subscription adds to the cost.

The device's own parental controls, set up first
A named reason for buying new instead of reusing
Total cost, including any required wireless plan
Controls a parent can change from their own phone
No fear-based selling

Save & share

Before a child's first device

Skip these

A new device bought before a hand-me-down was considered
A device set up on a parent's own adult account
Controls left at their defaults because the setup felt long

Look for these

A child account managed from your own phone (Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Link)
Purchase and download approval switched on
Limits on who the device can contact
A charging spot outside the bedroom, agreed before the device arrives
The full monthly cost if the device needs its own wireless plan

The account decides what a parent can see and approve. Choose the ecosystem first, and the device second.

The science, briefly

Why the account matters more than the hardware

Parental controls live in the account, not the glass. Apple's own support pages describe a child account that a parent creates and manages through Family Sharing, with Ask to Buy for purchases and downloads and limits on who the child can contact. Google's Family Link works the same way on Android and Chromebooks: a parent account supervises a child's account.

That is why a hand-me-down phone with a properly set up child account often protects a child better than a new phone left on a parent's login. The device is the same glass either way. The account is what carries the rules.

Controls are not a substitute for the conversation. The U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on social media and youth mental health recommends that families create a family media plan and tech-free zones. Our setup guides turn the technical half of that plan on. The family half still needs you.

Common mistakes

What parents get wrong

"A new device is safer than an old one"

Safety on a child's device comes mostly from the account and the controls set up on it. A hand-me-down with a managed child account and approvals switched on can do the same job as a new one. First check that the old device still gets security updates and runs the current Screen Time or Family Link. If it does not, that is a reason to buy new. Otherwise, buy new when you can name what it adds, such as battery life or a plan you need.

"Kid devices come locked down"

Some controls are on by default for some children and some are not. Apple's pages say the defaults depend on region and age, so open the settings on the first day and check each one.

"Once it is set up, we are done"

Plans need revisiting as children grow. Settings that fit a seven-year-old will chafe on a twelve-year-old, and a child who has outgrown their limits will find ways around them.

Start here