Smartphone for children in the test 2023
Even if many parents don't like it: a Smartphone is now part of everyday life for almost every child. But does your own offspring really need their own mobile phone? At what age is it perhaps even advisable to give your child a smartphone? And what should you definitely consider when looking for a suitable smartphone for children? Our guide article below will tell you.
| # | Preview | Products | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Motorola moto g14 smartphone (6,5" FHD+ display,... |
|
Buy now " |
| 2 |
|
Blackview Wave 6C Cell Phone Without Contract Cheap,... |
|
Buy now " |
| 3 |
|
SAMSUNG Galaxy A14 A145 4G EU 4/64GB, Android,... |
|
Buy now " |
| 4 |
|
Blackview A52 Pro smartphone without contract,... |
|
Buy now " |
| 5 |
|
EL KXD A1 smartphone without contract cheap 5,7... |
|
Buy now " |
| 6 |
|
CUBOT J20 Smartphone Without Contract 4,0 Inch Display... |
|
Buy now " |
| 7 |
|
Motorola moto e13 smartphone (6,52' HD+ display,... |
|
Buy now " |
| 8 |
|
OUKITEL C36 mobile phone without contract, 12GB+128GB/1TB... |
|
Buy now " |
| 9 |
|
Xiaomi Poco C65 Smartphone + Headphones, 8+256GB... |
|
Buy now " |
| 10 |
|
Xiaomi Redmi 13C Unlocked Smartphone 8GB RAM 256GB... |
|
Buy now " |
| 11 |
|
ZTE Smartphone Blade A54 2023 (16.76 cm (6,60... |
|
Buy now " |
| 12 |
|
Ulefone Smartphone without contract Note 15... |
|
Buy now " |
| 13 |
|
DOOGEE N50S Android 13 Smartphone Without Contract,... |
|
Buy now " |
| 14 |
|
XGODY S21 Smartphone Without Contract, 5,5 Inch... |
|
Buy now " |
| 15 |
|
Redmi 9A Smartphone 2GB 32GB 6.53" HD+ DotDrop... |
|
Buy now " |
Smartphone for children - does it really have to be?
For many parents, the smartphone has long been part of their everyday life, in order to stay in touch with friends or to quickly check the Internet for the latest news or the weather forecast.
However, when it comes to their own children, parents take a much more critical view of smartphones: Do their offspring really have to own a mobile phone? After all, you grew up without such technology yourself. That's true though. But it is also a fact: Times have changed and modern technologies now also dominate the everyday life of our little ones.
In almost every job you now have to work with the said technologies, so it can't be wrong for your child to be exposed to devices such as computers at an early age Smartphones to introduce. The question is, however, at what age this should happen, because a smartphone is not recommended for smaller children due to its complexity. In fact, only around 6% of 6 to 7-year-old children and 33% of 8 to 9-year-old children in this country have their own smartphone.
The situation is very different for children between the ages of 10 and 11, where a remarkable 75% already own a smartphone. Only the values for 12 to 13 year olds are even clearer, where a whopping 95% call a multifunctional mobile phone their own.
The best starting age for a smartphone is therefore between 9 and 10 years, at least based on the statistics. However, this does not mean that the child should not come into contact with their own mobile phone beforehand: Even with younger children, it can make sense to give them a classic mobile phone that you can only use to make calls or write text messages. For example, your offspring can give you a quick call if the last lesson is canceled or send you a text message saying that they are spontaneously visiting their best friend.
If the child has its own mobile phone, parents have to worry far less, because they can be reached at any time in case of an emergency.
Own smartphone from the age of 9 at the earliest
But let's get back to the smartphone: Many educators agree that a smartphone should only be used from the age of 9. the reason for this is relatively simple: a smartphone offers many more functions than a classic mobile phone. So you can play games with it, make video calls, surf the Internet and much more.
Children are drawn to this colorful world and tend to spend a lot of time with their new favorite toy. It is therefore particularly important that responsibility for a smartphone is given to "older" children.
By the time they start secondary school at the latest, however, parents should no longer resist giving their child a smartphone. As a look at the statistics mentioned above shows, almost all children between the ages of 12 and 13 own their own smartphone.
Children who do not have a smartphone are often excluded or bullied by their classmates, for example because they cannot participate in WhatsApp in the class group or are simply classified as "uncool" - children can actually be very cruel. In addition to the many advantages that a smartphone offers in everyday life, you should make your child's wish come true for this reason alone.
Smartphone for children or a "real" device?
If you look around for a suitable smartphone for children on the market, you will quickly come across a wide variety of models that have been specially developed for the offspring. Models such as the Lisciani Giochi or the Kidicom Max not only impress with their child-friendly design, but also with their very simple operation, which even small children can handle.
They also offer mum and dad the opportunity to make a wide variety of security settings, so that when surfing the Internet, the offspring can, for example, only access pages that are suitable for their eyes - depending on the device, this also applies to the installation of apps.
GPS tracking is also activated on some of these children's smartphones, so that mom and dad always know where their offspring is. However, before this function is activated, you should talk to your child about it, because a secret location is really not the fine art.
As soon as the child has reached a certain age (keyword subsequent school) it will definitely express the wish to get a “cooler smartphone”. After all, the classmates in the class may have a current Samsung Galaxy or an iPhone - of course you can't keep up with your "baby smartphone".
The search for a suitable device proves to be much more difficult here, because the youngsters often already have a very specific idea of their new dream smartphone. Unfortunately, current devices in particular from well-known manufacturers are extremely expensive, so that the purchase is not an option in every household.
Here it is important to find a compromise together that both the parents and the child agree with. In addition to the high-priced top models, there are also many smartphones on the market for well under 300 euros, which also offer strong equipment - and they also look cool.
Make "adult smartphones" child-friendly
Many parents think that a classic smartphone offers their offspring unlimited access to the Internet and that their offspring come into contact with violence, pornography and the like. However, this is not necessarily the case, because it is also relatively easy to install special child safety devices on "adult smartphones", which limit the use of the device in a certain way.
Alternatively, special child protection apps can also be used to set times when the smartphone can be used - this way, for example, you can ensure that the children do not surf the Internet secretly at night and go to school completely exhausted the following day.
With older children, on the other hand, it makes sense to remove such blocks, because at some point children will also have to deal with the topic of the Internet and the options available here. However, it is absolutely advisable to talk to your child before taking this step and to draw their attention not only to the advantages of the Internet, but also to its downsides. Here we have put together a small checklist for you:
- Explain to your child what kind of data (images, videos, etc.) they can and cannot store on their cell phone. Please also mention that certain content can have serious consequences.
- If your child has a social media Platform such as Facebook or Instagram, it should under no circumstances pass on private information such as the full name or address to other users who do not know it personally. Also make sure that your offspring does not post too many personal pictures of themselves on the Internet.
- Together with your child, set a fixed time per day when the smartphone can be used. This period can be more generous for older children, since they naturally also want to chat with their friends in the evenings. However, if your child's school performance suffers from the use of the smartphone, timely action should also be taken here.
- Do not store a credit card or other means of payment in the App Store to prevent the purchase of paid apps or expensive in-app purchases in games in advance.
- Set a PIN or password to protect your child's smartphone. If the cell phone is ever lost, the finder cannot access private information and pictures on the device.
Smartphone for children: prepaid or contract?
If you give your child a smartphone, you should definitely decide against a contract cell phone. Definitely a better choice is a prepaid SIM card, which only allows you to use the previously loaded credit – this way you avoid expensive mobile phone bills.
Good prepaid tariffs, which are also suitable for children, are now available for less than 10 euros per month. The price often already includes a telephone flat rate and an SMS flat rate in all German networks as well as a certain quota of data volume for surfing the Internet.
And finally ...
From a certain age (usually from the age of 9), it makes sense for children to have their own smartphone, because by using it, the offspring not only learn how to deal with the increasingly important new technologies and media, but also with their own Parents and friends can keep in touch. Even children under the age of 9 can already learn how to use a mobile phone, but a conventional mobile phone with buttons is sufficient.
