Control your children: Cell phones for children, preteens

Kent German, Senior Editor July 30, 2008

Admittedly, cell phones for children and preteens can be a touchy subject. While they can be a huge convenience for busy parents trying to keep tabs on their equally busy children, they involve a lot of responsibility as well. If not monitored closely, a chatty tween with a passion for text messaging can rack up an expensive bill very quickly. But if you do give in and buy your tykes their very own cell phone, there are some choices that will allow them to make and receive calls and send messages, while still allowing parents some measure of control. Although their simple designs and limited features mean they won't win praise from hip teens eager for schoolyard comparisons, most of the following handsets are suitable for the middle-school set and younger. Firefly is a cell phone manufacturer that operates its own MVNO. It offers two models, the Firefly FlyPhone and the Firefly GlowPhone. The former offers standard cell phone features in a child-friendly design, while the latter is a bare-bones device with a high level of parental controls. Virgin Mobile is another good option as the youth-oriented carrier's prepaid service can teach valuable budgeting skills. The UTStarcom Arc has a snappy flip phone design with Bluetooth, voice dialing, and good call quality. The Samsung Slash offers the same features but in a cool slider design. And for the text-happy, the Kyocera Wild Card offers a full alphabetic keyboard.

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