What you need to know before giving your kid a phone, plus the Wirecutter-tested trackers, smartwatches, and phones to consider.

Additional Reading:

• The Best First Phones for Kids
• The Best Smartwatches for Kids
• The Best Parental Control Apps to Manage Screen Time (and Keep Your Kid Safer Online)
• Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World  by Dr. Devorah Heitner
• Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World by Dr. Devorah Heitner

Products we recommend:

• Apple AirTag
• Tile Mate
• Bark Phone
• Pinwheel
• Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation, 128 GB)
• Verizon Gizmo Watch 3
• Apple Watch SE GPS + Cellular

Check out more NYT podcast coverage about the recent push to ban phones in schools from The Daily and Hard Fork.
 

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›

Follow us on instagram @wirecutter

Find edited transcripts for each episode at nytimes.com/wirecutter.