Select Region
Follow us!


Coming Soon: A Safer Cell Phone for Kids

Coming Soon: A Safer Cell Phone for Kids

This kid-friendly cell phone has no web browser, so it's safer, but looks seriously cool.


If you’re like most parents, you wrestle with the question of whether or not your child is too young for a phone. After all, it means he’ll have ready access to social media, and a whole bunch of things you don’t necessarily want him to see.

Yet it also feels harsh to hand your kid an old-fashioned flip phone that he’ll be ashamed to use in public. Worse, he may leave it home, so you can’t reach him when you need to be in touch.

Style But No Social Media

Light, a startup based in Brooklyn, has come up with what it thinks could be a viable alternative: The Light Phone 2. Sleek and sporting a matte finish, it’s got trendy, basic style. It also has truly basic functionality—it’s a call-and-text-only phone.

“Clearly, there are some safety reasons for wanting [a cell phone] but the fear of the smartphone effects on children is also incredibly concerning,” Joe Hollier, co-founder of Light, told Good Morning America. The Light Phone 2’s lack of a web browser and social media ought to alleviate many parents’ concerns, he noted, while the hip overall look of the phone ought to satisfy image-conscious kids.



Attractive to Adults, Too

The company speculates that the phone may win over a portion of the adult market too, becoming popular with people who will use it as a second phone in order to unplug a bit, or those who tend to save their web browsing for a time when they have a laptop, desktop, or tablet at hand. Grown-ups who’ve stuck by their flip phone for years may also be attracted to the Light Phone 2 for the style upgrade, Hollier noted.

The phone, which will be ready to ship in 2019, already has nearly 3,000 orders. Prices start at $250.

 

Related links: Five Things Parents Should Know About Bad Behavior

Sign Up Now for the Weekend Planner Newsletter

More Parenting Articles:

Parents Call on MTA to Remove Open-Stroller Ban on NYC Buses

New York City parents are advocating to change the open-stroller ban on NYC buses.


Latest News:

Student Struggling in School: 8 Simple Things You Can Do at Home to Help

Experts share how parents can help if their student is struggling in school, whether it’s in a certain subject or learning in person rather than at ho...


Family Activities:



Have a Laugh:

Best Memes of the Week for Parents

Here are the funniest parenting memes from Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit this week.
Deborah Skolnik

Author: Deborah Skolnik, a graduate of Cornell University, lives in Westchester with her husband and two daughters, and enjoys writing, cooking, and gardening. See More

Featured Listings:

Ballet Academy East

Ballet Academy East

New York, NY Ballet Academy East Summerdance will immerse girls ages four through eight in fun, enriching and creative activities centering on the arts. The full d...

Vivvi

Vivvi

At Vivvi, children’s natural curiosity guides a best-in-class curriculum facilitated by warm experienced teachers who foster the joy of learning.

Jodi's Gym

Jodi's Gym

Manhattan, NY These are some of the many reasons why we are THE place to bring your child to fall in love with the joy of gymnastics and movement. Hundreds of th...