Choosing a device for your child: how to decide what they actually need
Checked August 2026. Products and prices change fast, so this guide focuses on how to make the decision. Confirm current details before you buy.
Wait Mate isn't about keeping kids disconnected. Wanting a simple way to reach your child on the walk home, at sport, or when plans change is completely reasonable. The problem isn't a phone call or a text. It's the smartphone: an internet-connected device that puts an app store, social feeds, games and endless notifications in a child's pocket.
So this isn't a shopping list. It's a way to think the decision through, so that whatever you choose, you've chosen it on purpose. Start with what your child needs to do, understand the features that come with different devices and what to watch for, then narrow down to a device. In that order, the device almost picks itself, and you avoid buying far more than your child needs.
One note before we start. The products named below are examples to help you picture each category, not recommendations. Wait Mate doesn't endorse or receive anything from any of these brands.
Step 1: Start with the need
Before looking at any device, get clear on the problem you're actually solving. Most families land on one of a few needs.
If you want to reach your child when they're out of the house, that usually calls for the least device: a phone that makes calls and sends texts covers it. If they only need to reach home from one place, like after school, you may not need a mobile device at all. If what you really want is to know where they are, a device built around location will serve you better than a phone with tracking bolted on. And if your child wants a device because their friends have one, or for entertainment, it's worth naming that honestly, because it's a real pressure but a different need from safety, and it often has a simpler answer than a smartphone.
The discipline is to choose the least capable device that genuinely meets the need. Everything beyond it is something you'll later have to manage, monitor or explain. Picture a spectrum: a simple call-and-text phone, then a closed device that does a bit more, then a parent-managed smartphone where you control what's available, then an unrestricted smartphone. The further along you go, the more your child can reach and the more effort it takes to keep the guardrails up. Starting from the need keeps you as far down that spectrum as possible.
Step 2: Understand the features, and what to watch for
Two phones that look alike can offer very different access. These are the features that matter most, and what to look out for.
Calls and texts.
The baseline, and for many kids all they need. Nothing to watch for, beyond checking that's genuinely all the device does.
An internet browser.
Don't assume a "dumb phone" has no internet. Some basic phones include a small browser that reaches the open web over the mobile network. Often it's clunky enough that kids don't bother, but don't count on that. Check specifically whether there's a browser, and a SIM plan with little or no data is a useful backstop.
An app store.
This is the gateway to everything: social media, games, messaging. A device with an open app store is a full smartphone in practice, however it's marketed. Check whether apps can be installed at all, and if so, who controls what.
Social media.
The heart of what Wait Mate encourages families to delay. Look for a clear statement that the device blocks social media apps, and remember an open browser can reach social media sites even without the app.
A camera.
A good example of a feature that seems harmless but deserves a second look. Taking photos with family and friends is lovely, but a camera brings risks that didn't exist a few years ago. AI tools can now convincingly alter an ordinary photo, including turning an innocent picture into a fake "nude", so any photo a child takes or shares can be used against them. Cameras are also central to peer pressure around sharing images. And the front-facing camera is, in effect, a mirror your child carries everywhere, which for some kids feeds a focus on how they look that they don't need at this age. That doesn't make a camera wrong for every child, but decide on purpose whether you want one rather than treating it as a given. Camera-free devices exist, and that's a fair thing to look for.
Messaging apps.
Apps like WhatsApp can sit outside the controls you've set elsewhere. On a device where you've limited your child to approved contacts, a separately installed messaging app can often reach people outside that list unless you block it. Group chats are also where a lot of pressure and conflict happens. If a device allows messaging apps, check whether they can be controlled to the same standard as calls and texts.
Location tracking.
Genuinely useful, and the main reason many families consider a GPS watch. The thing to weigh isn't technical but relational: constant tracking can affect trust and your child's growing independence, so think about how much you'll use it and talk to them about it, rather than only about whether the feature exists.
An SOS button.
A worthwhile feature on kids' devices, letting them alert you or emergency contacts quickly. A clear positive if safety is your main concern.
Games.
Beyond the time they absorb, watch for in-app purchases, which lead to surprise bills, and gambling-style mechanics like loot boxes designed to keep kids spending and playing.
The screen.
A big, bright touchscreen is part of what makes a device hard to put down. Small screens, or none at all, are far less pulling. Keep that in mind when a device looks simple on paper but still offers an immersive screen.
Australian network and Triple Zero capability.
Practical rather than about content, but it matters. Since the 3G networks closed, a phone must work on Australian networks and be able to call Triple Zero (000). A phone can support 4G and still fail this, because some older handsets relied on 3G for emergency calls. It's a particular risk with cheap or minimalist phones bought overseas. To check, put your SIM in the phone and text "3" to 3498, a free automated check across the Australian networks, or confirm the specs with the manufacturer or your telco first.
Step 3: Match the need to the device
With the need clear and the features understood, the device is easy to place. Think of the options as four groups, defined by how much access they give.
Simple phones (calls and texts).
Calls, texts, an alarm, sometimes a basic camera, and little else. No app store, no social media. Usually all that's needed for a child who mainly has to reach you when out. Two you'll come across are the Nokia 3210 4G, a rebooted classic sold at the big electronics and department stores, and the KidComms P110, an Australian phone built for kids. Watch the browser and camera questions above, since "simple" isn't always as bare as it sounds.
Closed devices with a bit more.
These add something, a messaging app, a camera, or a minimalist design, but have no app ecosystem and no open web. The Doro 7030, a flip phone with a camera and support for one messaging app, sits here, as do deliberately minimalist phones like the Light Phone III, made to be used as little as possible. Check whatever extra they add, and for minimalist phones confirm they work on Australian networks and can call Triple Zero, since many are imported and get expensive once shipping is added.
Parent-managed smartphones.
Real smartphones underneath, sold with controls that let you decide what your child reaches. Usually Android based, they block social media and open browsing by default, use an approved-contacts list, and let you switch apps and contacts on and off, sometimes on a schedule. Options built for children are now sold in Australia, such as Pinwheel and the Opel Mobile SmartKids Phone, and a standard iPhone or Android locked down with Apple Screen Time or Google Family Link can do something similar. Just remember these are still smartphones: the guardrails take ongoing effort, kids often find the gaps, and the controls differ. Apple's Screen Time can restrict apps, websites and contacts fairly cleanly; Google Family Link blocks apps and manages contacts, but its contact limits only apply through supported calling and messaging apps, so a separately installed chat app can slip outside the list unless you block it. This group suits a carefully controlled first smartphone rather than delaying the smartphone itself.
Other devices (watches, trackers, screen-free).
When the need is location, safety or entertainment rather than a phone, these often fit better.
Closed kids' GPS and calling watches, like the Spacetalk Adventurer 2 or the Garmin Bounce, offer location plus calling and messaging to a small approved-contact list, with no social media, no open internet and nothing to scroll. Expect the watch to cost low-to-mid hundreds of dollars, with a plan and SIM on top. Separate three costs so there are no surprises: the device, the SIM or plan, and any app subscription. Some watches are locked to the maker's own SIM in Australia rather than any network, so check that. More capable smartwatches, like an Apple Watch set up for a child, are really parent-managed platforms, so treat them with that group.
One practical heads-up: many schools aren't keen on smartwatches. They're hard for staff to manage, and it's difficult to tell at a glance whether a watch is in 'school mode' with calls and messages silenced. If you go this way, the safest approach is usually to have your child keep the watch in their bag on the trip to and from school rather than wearing it in class, and to check your school's policy first.
Item trackers like the Apple AirTag or Samsung Galaxy SmartTag come up a lot, so it's worth being straight about them. They're made to find belongings, not people. A tracker like this has no GPS or mobile connection of its own; it updates by piggybacking on nearby phones, so its location can lag by many minutes, and it can't call or message. Apple's anti-stalking protections also mean a tag travelling with someone who isn't its owner will alert nearby phones and can start beeping. Those protections are deliberate, and they make trackers unreliable and unsuitable for tracking a child. Use one to tag a school bag or scooter, not the child, and keep the small button battery away from younger kids. For real location and contact, a purpose-built GPS watch is far better.
WiFi home phones let a child call approved contacts over your home internet, with no SIM, no mobile network, no browser and usually no screen. A purpose-built option like Yaps is one example, or a plain cordless handset on your existing NBN or landline line does much the same job. A good fit for a younger child whose calls happen from home.
Screen-free audio players like the Yoto Player or Toniebox aren't communication devices, but they answer the "my child wants a device" need without the trade-offs, playing stories, music and podcasts with no real screen, no feed and no algorithm pushing for more.
A quick checklist before you buy
- Does it do more than the need you named in step one, and if so, do you want to take that on?
- Can it reach the open web, through a browser or an app store? Can it install social media?
- Does it have a camera, and having thought it through, do you want one?
- Are contacts limited to a list you approve, and do messaging apps respect that same limit?
- Does it work on Australian networks and can it call Triple Zero? Check this specifically for anything imported.
- What are the full ongoing costs: the device, the SIM or plan, and any subscription?
Delaying a smartphone doesn't mean leaving your child out of reach. It means starting from what they genuinely need, understanding what each feature really brings with it, and choosing the least device that meets that need. Do it in that order and the decision gets clearer, not harder. That's the whole idea behind Wait Mate, and you're far from alone in it.