phones
Do you need an emergency phone for kids?
Christine Ottoni • March 4, 2020
Some kids might be at the age where they don’t need a full-blown smartphone in their pocket, but having a way to get in touch with mom and dad can make everyone feel a bit more secure. Getting an emergency phone for kids can make a lot of sense.
We recommend a simple flip phone or feature phone young kids who need to stay in touch. These basic phones make great emergency cell phones. They do everything they need to in case of an emergency as well as coordinating pick up and drop off for activities and get-togethers.
If you’re going with a feature or flip phone and your child will be using few texts or talk minutes, you’ll want to consider going with Ting.
On Ting, you don’t pay a lump sum for a plan. You only pay for what you use. For a kid’s emergency phone, just pay the monthly $6 line fee, and then whatever minutes your child uses in case of emergencies or to coordinate pick up and drop off at school or afterschool programs.
Feature phone vs smartphone for kids
There are a couple of reasons why Ting recommends feature phones and flip phones for young kids and for emergency phones for kids.
Basic phones have limited Internet access so you don’t have to worry about kids stumbling across inappropriate content, and they do what a phone really needs to do, especially in case of an emergency, make and receive calls.
A game of Snake is really the best it gets on a feature phone in terms of games, and you don’t have to worry about kids getting hooked on games and racking up hours of screen time.
A smartphone can be great for a tween or teen, but for younger kids, consider going with the bare essentials.
What are the best basic phones?
We’ve got a few starter options in the Ting Shop like the Alcatel Go Flip, a pure utility phone with big, clear keys. It’s great for a young kid’s very first phone. It has a few simple apps and a 2MP camera and it’s capable of getting online, but really, this phone is for the basics, texting and calling.
On Ting, you can bring any unlocked phone, so you’re not limited to what’s in the Ting Shop when you’re looking to purchase an emergency phone for kids. Flip phones and feature phones haven’t gone the way of the dinosaurs just yet, and you can find lots of options on Amazon, as well as online and instore at major retailers.
Preload an emergency list in your kid’s phone
The most important thing to do when you get your kid an emergency phone is to load important contacts in. There are a few other things you’ll want to do with that phone. Check out our post on what to do after you get your child a phone.
Ting is the perfect option for an emergency phone for kids
Whether it’s an emergency phone for your child, a phone for a boogie bag or a glove box, Ting is the perfect option for emergency phones. That’s because on Ting, you only pay for what you use. Just pay the monthly $6 to keep your emergency phone active, and only pay for talk, text and data when you use it.
You can bring any unlocked phone to Ting. When you’re ready, you can get started below.
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