Ask HN: What's a good "semi-dumb" phone/watch for kids?

Hard req: has to have cell connectivity & support roaming (US <> EU). Not for daily use, but for comms when they're out of the house in case they need to reach out. I looked at apple watch family and it's great, except that it doesn't allow roaming or plans abroad (it seems that BetterRoaming might work but it's unclear). The Garmin Bounce 2 looks like it fits the bill, but it has ZERO reviews and some comments make it look like it's crap.

The Light Phone III seems like an awesome idea, but at ~$900 it's a strong pass.

The Punkt MP02 is so far my top contender.

Any suggestions?

8 points | by funkaster 2 days ago

10 comments

  • al_borland 2 days ago
    The iPhone has a mode called Assistive Access. It’s meant for older people or those with cognitive impairments, but could work well for children as well. It changes the UI, limits the apps available, and simplifies those apps, so they just have very basic features.

    You could set it up on a cheaper or hand-me-down iPhone (if you have one).

    https://support.apple.com/guide/assistive-access-iphone/welc...

    [-]
    • funkaster 1 day ago
      that's not a bad idea, thanks! I'll take a look at it
  • 4d66ba06 14 hours ago
    I have a https://sleke.io/ phone and it is a refurbed Pixel and doesn’t allow unrestricted web browsing or social media but you can install Beeper and Whatsapp and Google Suite. Nice community too.
  • gus_massa 1 day ago
    Something like this may be useful for very old people, or in other words, you may want to search also for phones designed for old people.
  • a_lifters_life 20 hours ago
    i use google family link - which allows me to limit any apps/websites my child could view. i paired this with nextdns to auto-block obvious blacklisted sites (porn, etc) for a child. Works really well.
  • darkzip 1 day ago
    My nephew had a Gabb watch for a bit. Would not recommend.
  • mdp2021 2 days ago
    +1 for people who want no spying modules and need the phone to serve connectivity (tethering, hotspot).

    I was very upset to find FB and similar on recent Nokia products.

  • logn 1 day ago
    Just give em a smart phone. It's like critical in todays world. For any age.
  • Egg-Man 1 day ago
    Why not a Volte feature phone?
  • d3Xt3r 2 days ago
    For the phone, a good candidate is the Commodore Callback. Runs Linux, deliberately blocks all social media, operates like a semi-dumb phone.
    [-]
    • funkaster 1 day ago
      wow... I was not aware of this. Brain hurts from trying to process commodore building a phone lol. Will def take a look. I specially like the fact that it has messaging apps in it.
  • brudgers 1 day ago
    What ages?