My wife’s kids take a tablet to their dad’s house on his custody weekend, which we set up for him to contact them via google phone when they’re home with us. Problem is he doesn’t let them connect to the internet to call home when they’re with him, and with the holidays and extended visit coming up we’d like to send them with something that they can use without his WiFi. The oldest is 9 and I’m afraid a basic or prepaid phone will get lost or misused, but that’s a risk we’d take if necessary. Another option, I think, would be to add a data plan to the tablet, assuming that’s possible with Amazon’s devices? Adding a phone to our plan would cost $40-50 historically so I don’t think it’s the most cost-effective way to go given how little they’d use it.
I dont know about Amazon devices but an iPad with cellular data connectivity is a different device than the standard iPad. It’s not something you can add later. Maybe yours is already included.
Not sure this fits your criteria but I’ll throw it out there - apple watch.
We got one for my 11 year old in lieu of a phone that we’re trying to put off as long as possible. He needs something as he commutes by subway on his own. It’s awesome. It has the cellular capabilities (it’s on our family plan), so he can call or text us. IT’s paired with my phone though so I can track him and have to approve any app downloads (he has virtually none). During school I can put it in school mode so I know he’s not being distracted when he should be working.
It’s an expensive bit of kit but is a great solution for our needs.
But, seriously, this was our first stage with both our kids for their first phones. rather inexpensive ‘tracphone’ android phones from walmart. Per minute usage with very low initial costs for the phone itself. Not hard to replace a $20 phone with a $20 calling card on it. plus if you lost thed phone, tracphone was always good forwarding the unused minutesto the new phone.
Heck my Wife stayed on this plan for years.
The next step was an iphone so they could join the platform of facetime and imessage which became a dealbreaker for a young teen - but we stayed with the straight talk plans as that plan has worked for us.
Not sure this fits your criteria but I’ll throw it out there - apple watch.
We got one for my 11 year old in lieu of a phone that we’re trying to put off as long as possible. He needs something as he commutes by subway on his own. It’s awesome. It has the cellular capabilities (it’s on our family plan), so he can call or text us. IT’s paired with my phone though so I can track him and have to approve any app downloads (he has virtually none). During school I can put it in school mode so I know he’s not being distracted when he should be working.
It’s an expensive bit of kit but is a great solution for our needs.
Or a pixel watch, or the galaxy watch… Apple people thing they have the latest tech, when most often its older slower and more expensive.
But yes there are lots of watches out there that have built in Cell phone capability.
Not sure this fits your criteria but I’ll throw it out there - apple watch.
We got one for my 11 year old in lieu of a phone that we’re trying to put off as long as possible. He needs something as he commutes by subway on his own. It’s awesome. It has the cellular capabilities (it’s on our family plan), so he can call or text us. IT’s paired with my phone though so I can track him and have to approve any app downloads (he has virtually none). During school I can put it in school mode so I know he’s not being distracted when he should be working.
It’s an expensive bit of kit but is a great solution for our needs.
Or a pixel watch, or the galaxy watch… Apple people thing they have the latest tech, when most often its older slower and more expensive.
But yes there are lots of watches out there that have built in Cell phone capability.
Didn’t claim it was groundbreaking dude - keep your knickers on! I’m also only very grudgingly an “apple person” as my firm withdrew android support two years ago. Let me rephrase for the excessively technologically tribal:
“Assuming they all have all the same features as an apple watch (which is the only non-Garmin smart watch I have experience with), smart watches with cell phone capability are an excellent alternative to phones for kids for reasons including those listed above.”
The wristwatch phones were big around that age around here. My daughter got my mom’s old flip phone and AT&T pay as you go. It was like $25/ qtr minimum or something. She never remembered it- so it wasn’t super helpful.
