I wish someone would invent a smart (ish) phone as an addition to a main phone.

[Kendodd]

For kids. So all it could do was call and text and maybe a few other limited features, no Internet access, social media etc. But the phone was in addition to the main phone so the main phone could monitor all activity on the second phone. Does this already exist?

You mean an original Nokia?

My mind went straight to a 3210 too! Can’t link to a smart phone though

If you didn’t have internet or SM, what activity would you be tracking??

I personally would love a phone that just made and received phone calls! No text or messaging ability.

You mean like an iPhone with parental controls enabled?

Yes - and regular checking of the phone by parents. This is how we started with DS when he was in Y7. More freedom was allowed as he got older and gained our trust.

They were invented roundabout the 90s and superseded by smartphones relatively recently. You can still get them, new or used. You do the monitoring by looking at it.

You can get basic phones.

You can also enable parental controls on smart phones and limit everything, as well as using something like the google family link to monitor, limit things and even track location.

What is it you think hasn’t been provided?

I would go back to one of it wasn't for the fact that I listen to podcasts and you tube when I'm in the garden.

I haven't used this and they seem to a be a US company, not sure if they would work elsewhere. https://gabb.com/our-mission/

A parent on another forum recommends them.

But it looks like they are just heavily filtered smartphones, which you could do yourself.

My DS and all his friends have Xplora watches - linked to the parents phone; only calls and texts; and GPS for parent to track. It’s so good, I think I will borrow it when I go out running.

arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/a-watch-designed-exclusively-for-kids-has-an-undocumented-spying-backdoor/

Likelihood is clearly very remote but smart technology of any kind is tricky. I don't know what the answer is. By age 14 I finally had a brick Motorola. It lay at the bottom of my school bag gathering crumbs.

I like the idea of a phone version of a Yoto or something like that, but problems arise as soon as tech can connect to wifi/4g

Feels like the only answer is smart phone after the age of 13 and tight restrictions until 16.