For a lot of families the first-phone question arrives with secondary school: a longer journey, after-school clubs, and a child who suddenly needs to reach you (and you them). There's no single right answer, and no right age that suits every child. But there are really only three kinds of first phone, and each one has honest pros and cons.
The three choices
1. A basic phone (calls and texts)
Often called a “brick” or feature phone. It rings, it texts, and that's about it: no app store, no social media, and usually no proper web browser.
- Good for: younger children, a first taste of independence, and parents who want contact without the internet in their pocket.
- Upsides: cheap, tough, days of battery, nothing to lock down, and not much for anyone to steal.
- Downsides: no maps, often no location sharing, and group chats with friends may be off the table, which can matter more to a 12-year-old than you'd expect.
2. A smartphone with the controls switched on
An ordinary iPhone or Android phone, set up as a child's phone from your own. Both come with free parental controls: time limits, a bedtime, app approvals (nothing installs without your OK), content filters and location sharing.
- Good for: older children who need maps, a camera and messaging, and parents happy to spend half an hour setting it up.
- Upsides: it grows with them; you loosen the controls as they get older rather than buying a new phone.
- Downsides: it's the full internet, gated only by the settings you choose. The controls are made by Apple and Google, who also collect data, and children do find workarounds.
Our step-by-step guides cover both: iPhone Screen Time and Google Family Link for Android.
3. A hand-me-down
Your old phone, reset and passed down. Free, and often perfectly good, with one big thing to check first: is it still getting security updates? An old phone that's stopped getting them is a risk for anyone, and children tap on things. Check the model's end date in our guide to Pixel update dates, or on your phone maker's website, before you hand it over.
Wipe it properly first (a full factory reset), sign it into your child's own account rather than yours, and then set up the controls as if it were new.
What to look for, whichever you choose
- Calls and texts that just work. Obvious, but it's the whole point. Save your numbers as favourites.
- Location sharing you both agree on. Useful for journeys; it works best when your child knows it's on and why.
- Battery that lasts the day. A phone that's dead by 3pm doesn't keep anyone in touch. Basic phones win here easily.
- Controls you'll actually use. Time limits and app approvals matter more than any fancy feature. See our parents' guide to locking down a phone.
- A SIM deal with a spending cap. Pay-as-you-go or a monthly plan with a cap means no surprise bills. Ask the network to switch off premium-rate texts and in-app charges to the bill.
- The network's adult-content filter. UK mobile networks offer a filter that blocks adult websites. Ask your network (or check your account) that it's switched on for your child's SIM.
- Toughness. A decent case and a screen protector cost less than one repair.
A sensible starting point by age
Every child is different, so treat this as a starting point, not a rule:
- Around 9 to 10: a basic phone for calls and texts is plenty for most. If it's a smartphone, keep it tightly controlled: approved apps only, short time limits, and it lives downstairs at night.
- Around 11 to 12: the usual time for a first smartphone, often with the move to secondary school. Start with the controls on and loosen them as trust builds. Maps, messaging and the camera on; social media off.
One thing that helps more than any setting: agree a few house rules together before the phone arrives. Where it charges overnight, when it's put away, and what to do if something online upsets them (tell you, without fear of losing the phone).
What's changing in the UK
The government has announced a ban on social media accounts for under-16s, expected to come in during spring 2027. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp aren't intended to be covered. Until then, the apps' own age limits (usually 13) still apply, and they're easy to get round. Our plain-English Online Safety Act guide explains what's already in force and what's coming.
The honest bit
No phone and no setting makes a child completely safe online. The UK Safer Internet Centre puts it plainly: no filter or parental controls tool is 100% effective. Controls buy you time and set expectations; the conversations do the rest.
We're working on Takeback Family: simple phones that keep children reachable without the social media and ad-tracking. It isn't on sale yet. If you'd like to hear when it is, leave your email on that page. Meanwhile, everything above works with the phone you can buy today.