AIBU to be excited about a phone that’s actually built for kids’ safety?

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi all,
I’m really excited to say we’ve just launched The Other Phone - a smartphone built with parents, for children’s wellbeing.

We all know the risks: screen-time addiction, doomscrolling, and the constant battle over boundaries. That’s why we launched our Rage Against the Screen campaign to push for policy change that reins in the addictive algorithms and empowers parents to act collectively. But while we wait for government 🙄, we decided to get on and do something about it ourselves.

Our research showed that parents are torn. Most say their kids need connection – to be part of the digital world – and parents also want the reassurance of being able to stay in touch. So we partnered with Nothing, the makers of the best affordable phone on the market, and SafetyMode - experts in digital safety software - to build The Other Phone.

What makes it different:

• Parents genuinely control what apps get downloaded and when they can be used.
• AI software (built by SafetyMode) filters harmful content, flags bullying, and helps prevent doomscrolling.
• The phone grows with your child: start simple (calls/texts), then gradually unlock more features as you both feel ready.

Today’s TechRadar review summed it up : “Online safety never looked so cool.”

If you’re wondering about a smartphone for your child, please do take a look.
We’d love to hear what you think.

The idea is a good one, but it seems to be a repackaged mid-tier mobile with an additional layer of software to provide the controls. Which is great, but I hope mumsnet has had nothing to do with the software development or security as it's track record in those areas is hardly world class😂

Could we now have an elder phone please? One with remote access so we can sort out whatever they’ve buggered up now. 🤦‍♀️

You’re right that we didn’t build the software ourselves. The safety tech on The Other Phone comes from SafetyMode, who are specialists in this area and have been working on AI-based content moderation and parental controls for years.

And without wanting to tempt fate, it’s maybe a little unfair to paint us as a major security risk. Despite being a very high-profile target, we haven’t had a data breach for many years and none have involved financial information or loss - our systems are protected by enterprise-grade firewalls that block attacks on a daily basis. We do take privacy and data protection seriously, both on Mumsnet and in the partners we choose to work with.

What also makes The Other Phone unique is that the safety software is built in – you don’t need to faff around downloading or configuring separate parental-control apps – and it’s genuinely flexible. It’s a phone that grows with your child: you can start with calls and texts only, then gradually unlock more features as they mature and learn to navigate the online world safely.

It's a neat idea! Our partners at SafetyMode have also built this https://www.chatsie.com/ which seems to allow just that - might be worth checking out?

I don’t understand the perceived market gap for this. My son had a £30 dumb phone at 11 for the secondary school transition so he could call me in an emergency/be contactable when out of sight. Upgraded to a second hand old iPhone with strict parental controls once he could prove he didn’t lose the dumb phone for a 6 month period (took 5 mins to set up on iPhone and Google Family Link) and gradually relaxed restrictions as he got older with appropriate conversations about online safety and boundaries. No Face ID, block ability to change passcode, leave it downstairs to charge at night, occasional glimpse through it to keep an eye out, etc. Parenting involves actually parenting your kids, which takes effort and engagement; not trying to wrap them in cotton wool and pretending the world out there isn’t a weird and wild one.

I can’t see this being particularly popular. Phones are fine as they are as long as parents actually parent.

No comments on the children one

But I am absolutely sick to death of my iPhone - they used to be intuitive and now they're just mad. I might have a look at this myself! Just things like being able to change the settings are now such a flipping mission in iphone

Whoever has come up with that should be marketing it at everyone. Honestly, I think it would take off. I replaced My phone relatively recently, but I would definitely think about that next time.

We have Androids. Google Family link does everything I need to keep my child safe. I can restrict everything and it's easy. I work in the sector and can't honestly see this having much of a market.
The controls exist. There just needs to be better awareness on how to use them and how to support parents with using them and dealing with the fallout.

Launching via an AIBU thread seems a bit random?

The controls already exist elsewhere, so I'm not sure what the point is. Also it's pretty much going to be social suicide for a teen to have one off these.

Yep. As mentioned, more education needed in how to educate parents to use the controls that already exist.
My teen's phone is off from 11pm to 6am. I restrict the apps. I can see where he is. I can see how much time he spends on apps, I can limit his time on apps.

I think it’s great as long as it’s no dearer than normal phones !

It seems as if you need to pay £5.99 a month for the ‘safety plus’ features, on top of whatever data package you choose to use, and the phone costs £279 :)

The website has some testimonials, but they are all from mumsnet testers, so read into that what you will given mumsnets propensity to make up reviews for products it recommends…

https://otherphone.co.uk

Just add my 8-year-old currently has a phone.
When I first gave it to her last Christmas (it was my old phone), it was so she could use an app for some technology she has, which sure couldn't access through her tablet. It has no SIM card, she cannot even open a web page on it. She has times table rockstars, and a word educational game on it. It's totally locked down.

Recently I've added a messaging app, where she can send messages to myself and her dad. But only when she's at home on our Wi-Fi (or at grandparents house on their Wi-Fi I guess). This was added for specific reasons which I won't go into here.

The setup is such as if she wants to add anyone to message, I have to approve it (but she knows it's for family only until she's a lot older). If she wants to download, I have to approve it. I can choose to use timers on it if I want.

As she gets older, I will loosen the reins on what she's allowed to do and see, and eventually add a SIM card. At that stage I will add more content screening stuff, because it will become unnecessary.

This is using an old smartphone and costs nothing. I'm not sure why I'd want to spend nearly 300 quid plus a subscription every month for something that screams "my parents got me a kiddy phone", which doesn't do anymore then I can currently do.

Sorry mumsnet. Sounds like an overpriced gimmick to me.

Although Family Link works well in general, it does not do everything to keep your child safe, I'm afraid. For example, inappropriate content can still be accessed on Chrome by utilising a search engine other than Google. Keep an eye out.

I appreciate alternative phone options for young people and will consider the Other Phone if/when we get our child a phone for starting secondary.

Thanks for feedback. Totally fair - if your locked-down old phone does everything you need, buying a new handset plus a subscription can feel like an unnecessary expense.

That said, some parents will still want the Other Phone, we believe. Only a third of parents in our survey say they are satisfied with parental controls, so there is real frustration with bolt-on apps that are fiddly and easy to bypass. The Other Phone’s safety software is integrated at the device level, so parental rules and content screening are harder to get around and updates can be managed centrally. That matters when you move from Wi-Fi-only to a SIM later, because the safeguards travel with the phone.

It also comes with a warranty, predictable updates and customer support, which matters if a handset fails or security patches stop coming. Nothing - the manufacturer - is well regarded for design and performance, which helps the phone avoid that obvious "kiddy-phone" look. As TechRadar put it "online safety never looked so cool." We're are definitely not slapping the Mumsnet logo on the handset 😆

Absolutely.
my daughter had to have a phone aged 10 due to being diagnosed type 1 and needling to have apps on there to read her sugars.
we had it locked down pretty tight. Even with a SIM card we had controls similar to yours.
I deemed it as pretty safe as back then only people in your phone book could WhatsApp you… that’s now changed so I wouldn’t let a child under a certain. Have what’s app now

Can you use it to view images of CSA that mumsnet leaves up for hours on end and encourages other users to share said images?

You can already do that on some Doro phones!

I can’t see this being any different from any smart phone that is locked down and then gradually opened up.

When I mentioned security it was actually with reference to the period when the forums were constantly subjected fo posts with graphic images of sexual abuse and which mumsnet took some time to address. Not that it should ever have happened in the first place. I’d also be wary of mumsnets propensity to allow ads to take over the browsers, and worry that children will be exposed to inappropriate ads.

However, I’m encouraged that mumsnet has had nothing to do with the software element! But it’s seems rather cynical to monetise parents genuine fears around smartphones, the web and social media to the tune of of £70odd a year per child, for what presumably is at least 4 and probably more years. Does any of that income stream go to mumsnet?

Seems such a good idea.

My kids will just get a dumb phone initially, then one with family link which has all the control you need if used properly.

It is unreasonable that this is so much more expensive than a normal phone!

and a monthly subscription too!

I couldn’t have afforded this for my daughter, thankfully she’s 15 soon and sensible enough to keep safe on her phone

I think all parents need to stick together and buy old style phones that can only call and text… if we all did that no one would be singled out or bullied for not having a smart phone!