So my niece wants a phone and her parents think she needs some way to keep in touch with them. She really wants an iPhone or a smart phone in general but we think the problems and dangers of a child having a smart device are too high. What she really needs is just a way to make calls and maybe text her parents/family, nothing too expensive either. Their carrier is Sprint so the phone would probably be with them unless there is a 3rd party alternative that is better. One thing that her mother wants to do is give her the old iPhone 4 that they have and just activate it. They think it would be cheaper to do so but I still have doubts about the safety in it. If there are any good alternatives out there, I heard of a device called “Gizmo” that was made for kids, or if just getting an old flip-phone would be better.
The main requirements are
-The ability to make calls (to family or maybe a friend)
-Texting family members
-Has to be “Child-proof”
-NOT be able to use the internet freely and go on any website
-NOT be able to download apps
Another think is what are the problems of using an old iPhone 4 these days? Would there be far more security problems due to the lack of updates or hardware issues. Also some other tips and reasons why a 10 year old should not have a smart device would be wonderful, since her mother doesn’t see any problem in it.
You are contradicting yourself here. You either have internet access or you don’t. I’m sure you could find some software with parental controls but that usually costs money and is pain to set up.
Just get her a Nokia 3310. It makes calls and send texts. Can’t browse the web, can’t install spywa… I mean apps. Can’t really break the OS and the phone it self is very hard to damage. Whereas iPhone’s screen is very fragile. Nobody will want to rob her because it’s an very old phone.
iPhone with internet access will be just distraction to her in school. She doesn’t need it. Of course giving her a phone that they already have is cheaper. So there is that.
If you don’t want her to be embarrassed in school then maybe get her something more “advanced” like Sony Ericsson K700. It takes crappy pictures and play some primitive games but I don’t think you can browse the internet on it.
a flip phone would be the best bet but you would have to look close. 80% of all phones have internet and if you want youtube then you have to have free access to internet. cant have you cake and eat it to. as far as apps go there is not much you can do about it if you get an old smart phone other than putting a password on it and praying that she cant crack it.
Ya it is contradicting but I’ve heard of phones that only have access to YouTube or maybe a few things, the phones being made with a kid using it in mind. I heard of the Gizmo watches but I’m not to sure about them.
good luck no matter what you choose its going to be headache. kids these days are brutal if you dont have the latest and greatest or dont have name brand X (piss me off but i cant control the masses kids or parents)
I just checked the phone. It has WAP 2.0/xHTML browser. So potentially you could get on internet but I seriously doubt any modern websites would work on it. That being said it was a stellar phone during its time. https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_k700-692.php
If the phone is going to see minimal use, consider a pay as you use provider.
Ting is one option. You can get a refurb flip phone + sim for $20
100 Minutes & 100 Texts /month is $12 a month
Their CDMA phones operate on Sprint’s network, while their GSM phone’s operate on T-Mobile’s
Don’t do this if your niece intends to text/call her friends a lot.
Give the kid the old iPhone with only calling and texting. Then teach her how to properly and safely use the phone and don’t give her the apple password so she cant install apps without her mom knowing.
No point with flip phones or even android as giving her anything that is not an iPhone will result in trouble because Apple got most young girls drinking there kool aid.
If you’re in the States and you just want a little feature phone that makes calls and sends texts, I’d take a look at BLU’s Tank phones. They’re around $20 on Amazon, they’re built like Nokias (they actually look like Nokias to some extent) and they have excellent cell reception, band coverage and a week-long battery life to boot.
It’s none of my business, of course, and it’s just my opinion, but I think that in this day and age it’s becoming increasingly important to instill in kids the idea that buckling down and doing well in school matters far more than whether or not you have a $800 smartphone to show off to your friends. These days school has become more of a social platform first and an educational institution second, which is… less than desirable, to put it lightly. I know how brutal and judgemental kids can be, believe me, but at least at that age I think a smartphone is going down the rabbit hole a little too early.
Show her the benefits of cheap phones - for one, a feature phone is a device your niece would have to absolutely destroy several dozen times over for it to equal the cost of one iPhone - and being made of plastic, they’re far more resilient than more or less every smartphone under the sun. Like, you actually have to put in some effort to kill the things. Seriously, get her the phone, toss it at a wall in front of her and hand it back to her fully functional. Might just impress her. A feature phone I think would be a good lesson in frugality and utilitarianism. Whether those are values you’d like to teach her is up to you.
You can completely lock down an iPhone in Settings>General>Restrictions. That including restricting apps they can use, blocking app downloads, and disallowing the use of the camera. It’s all locked with a passcode.
Works great, and if you run a version of iOS that hasn’t been jailbroken it’s pretty much unbreakable as the device would need to be erased and then setup as new to disable the restrictions, but you can’t do that without the registered Apple/iTunes store login.
Actually the 3310 isn’t compatible with the frequencies they use in the US (and the rest of the American continent).
The OP will need to look for a 3390 (the US-compatible version) instead.
But yeah, you can’t go wrong with an old Nokia. Get one, open it up to clean the internals, go on Ebay to get new covers and a modern replacement battery (I run a Li-Poly that’s twice the original capacity in my own 3310) and you’re all set.
I’ve also contemplated about this subject before, but then I thought, the kid might be subjected to teasing or even worst, bullying when friends or classmates finds out that they’re using a “dumbphone”. Cuz I have heard similar stories before.
Ya…that there is a problem. Most basic phones only work either on Verizon, or GSM. Nokia 3310 would be my #1 suggestion, but I dont think it would work on Sprint’s network. Seriously, screw Sprint. The only basic phone i see them selling is a royally terrible flip phone on their prepaid network, and I promise you they are probably overcharging for it, and likely won’t even allow it on their normal network.
Sadly, your only option might be to search the used market for some basic phone unless you want to go to the store and spend WAY too much (over $100) on a cheaply made POS. Locking down the iPhone from ALL internet usage all the sudden might not seem like the worst idea…
sony Ericsson w960
though i’m sure you would want something cheaper…
good recommendation is also nokia 3310 which i saw someone recommending it here.
First Nokia Windows phones is also good option, they were built to be tough. (nokia lumia 900 - with win 7.8, most if not all apps won’t work)