Why don't they invent a child/young teen safe smartphone?

[Mumoftwo1312]

Wouldn't this take off?

It's preloaded with apps, no access to an app store.

It's got only the apps parents want on there. Say, phone calls, messages, WhatsApp, a location tracker, Google Maps. Maybe a child-safe music streaming app and Kids' netflix. A camera.

It's got a Web browser with strict controls, and a linked web-history tracker the parents can access remotely.

Maybe you could add more apps but only remotely from an appstore on the parents phone. All games blocked. All apps with in game purchases blocked.

Because it's got limited functions, it's got long battery life.

It's cheaper because it doesn't have silly high processing speed and camera resolution.

Wouldn't hordes of parents want this?! Why won't they make this! It would sell like hot cakes!! With the right glamorous advertising, the kids might even want it too.

I suspect it would be commercially non viable, not all parents/age groups would want the same access.

You do know don’t you that you can set up a phone with those restrictions?

Moat parents don’t really care enough or believe it impacts them enough, and most children want to be cool and have a decent phone.

That’s pretty much exactly how we set up our kids smartphones. Old iPhones. iPhone family settings, however they work. We approve all app purchases. We set downtime. We set browser ratings stuff. We have their passwords so can see search histories. It’s not all or nothing with smartphones. And it’s mostly about supervision and checking them and teaching them to use them safely. I know they can still screw up etc but there’s only so far you get with tech before you have to work with behaviours as well, and that’s harder. Tech constraints are the easy bit.

No I wouldn’t buy it

You can have all this via apps like Family link, we have to approved every game/app install for DS. He has limited phone time controlled via this and we can also put separate limits on for certain specified apps too. it also has a location part so we can track him.

A lot of my dc's peers at secondary school had their parents old handsets, for a start off.

But also as soon as it's marketed as a "kiddy" version it will put them off, won't it? Because it will be seen as babyish.
And I think your description also shows why it isn't going to be uniform what a parent wants, because having a couple of games on the phone is great. But you've also put WhatsApp which is now for over 16s so you wouldn't put that on one aimed for younger.

You can already restrict what they have in the way you say, but more personalised, so what would be the point.

There are some being made in the USA, which I assume will be more common here in time. IIRC, Gabb and Troomi were two of them. I liked the ‘Light Phone’ best.

You can market to teens as well - they did in the 2000s. Charms etc on phones.

Part of the reason is technology develops so fast that the solutions to issues caused by new technology often take time to put in place.

My DDs only had apps I approved until age 13 with Android phones. When they were younger they had iPods and I was able to remove the browser entirely as well as restricting apps. Being able to see browser history remotely could be useful but otherwise I think most of this exists. They also had cheap but robust starter phones with good battery life.

You literally can set up a smart phone to be like this if you can be arsed how to learn the parental settings. I’m sick to death of parents being wet on this issue. Smartphones could be made significantly safer if parents implemented them properly.

You literally can set up a smart phone to be like this if you can be arsed how to learn the parental settings. I’m sick to death of parents being wet on this issue. Smartphones could be made significantly safer if parents implemented them properly.

This basically. Everything you've described in your OP is how my DD's iphone is set up (except Netflix, don't see any need for that on a phone).

Schools keep asking for new apps to be downloaded, they need new versions of phones to have the apps the school expect.

and also
the little sods would love the challenge to hack them

The "if you can be arsed" is commercial though isn't it - I could wash all my clothes by hand if I could be arsed!

My kids are too young atm but I really hope there's something like this on the market by the time they need it. Good to know there are some in the states already!

It’s commercially available in the States, it’s called Bark Phone.

maybe we need to campaign the company to join the U.K. market.

https://www.bark.us/bark-phone/

I would have 100% bought one of these with my 3.

They already have

Ooh thanks I'll check it out!

It’s really not hard to only give your child the apps you want them to have.

I really was a bit clueless about the restrictions but sat down and read how to use the family link. They can't download any app without permission and the phones are set to go on downtime overnight. I personally want to introduce the social media side of things slowly (it's part of life) with supervision and lots of talking about it. I can't see any benefit to suddenly being given access to everything at 16. In saying that I do realise many adults can't cope with social media!! It's an absolute minefield!
ETA - mine haven't figured out how to get past restrictions yet but I'm sure there are ways!! I've heard of pretty genius ways of kids getting access to what they want!!

@Mumoftwo1312 it really is quite pathetic to not be willing to spend 10-15 mins (if that) setting up a smart phone so that it cuts out at certain times of day, blocks apps, and has its browser limited to a level you’re comfortable with. I’m fed up with smart phone hysteria from stupid,lazy parents. You wouldn’t not teach your child how to cross the road because you couldn’t be arsed.

Woah I'm not sure if you're directing these insults at me personally - I've already said my kids are too young for phones still, so calm down.

The argument that you can already do it yourself doesn't preclude commercial viability. There are so many conveniences people are willing to pay for. It's totally OK to want to outsource/automate arduous or daunting tasks, it doesn't make someone lazy.

@Mumoftwo1312 No, apologies not directed at you. I’m sure there might be some commercial viability.

It’s an issue I feel very strongly about as there is all sorts of handwringing in the media about Mobile phones and pre teens and teens - a large part of the solution is already inherent in the phones yet this doesn’t seem to be highlighted, and many children are being harmed. Can you not understand why I feel so strongly about it? Apologies again for it appearing I was directing the insult at you personally it wasn’t my intention.

I understand now what you mean - unfortunately though it's important to remember that parents of teens come in all shapes and sizes. Many might not be tech savvy themselves, some might be quite time poor and would simply rather spend their free time doing anything but trawl through parental controls instructions. Some might not have the literacy and executive function. Nb I'm not defending those parents, they may well be lazy too.

A classic software principle is that if enough users [parents] are getting it wrong, it's a software issue not a user issue.

Wouldn't work

Apps etc evolving too quick

Education on phone management is the way forward

I think it would be a good idea too. One of the problems with the current setup is that, no matter how many filters and restictions parents put on their own kids' phones, they always seem to have friends with unfettered internet access who show them unsuitable things.

If regular smartphones were illegal for any child under the age of 16, so all children just had the child-safe smartphones, it could drastically reduce the amount of harmful material that children access.

Again, the tech on the smart phone is just a small part of the battle. So much risk / problems / bullying etc comes through just simple messaging apps. It’s how they use them just as much as anything else. So you still have to monitor and be on the ball as a parent - it’s risky to delegate the responsibility to a “safe space” phone.