Best affordable cell phone plans for kids (2024 update)

Every parent struggles with how and when to introduce their young ones to the digital world. While mobile devices do help with connectivity, it is incredibly hard to find a suitable balance for kids. You’ll find that children often get addicted to their phones and get detached from the real world. Still, you’ll have to get your kid a cell phone plan for their safety eventually. The following guide for the kids’ cell phone plans will highlight some key considerations for parents. Focus on picking an option that ensures your child’s safety while not being too heavy on your budget. Navigate the details below to figure out which mobile plan will best fit your child’s needs.

Is it necessary for your kids to have a cell phone?

Before we get into all the available cell phone plans for gets, let’s cover the necessity of having a cell phone. Here are some factors to broaden your perspective.

1. Safety: It is the primary reason why parents consider purchasing a mobile phone for their kids. Children can easily use these devices in cases of emergencies to connect with the authorities or their guardians. This ease of access can help kids navigate a ton of tough situations, especially if you live in a risky neighborhood.
2. Tracking: You can rely on several tracking apps and spy tools to monitor your child remotely with their cell phone. These tracking apps will help you ensure that your child stays disciplined and keeps away from bad company. Moreover, it will also promote a sense of accountability in kids.
3. Sense of independence: You’ll be more keen on letting your kids explore the world when you know you can contact them at any time. It not only gives you peace of mind but also helps in the development of your child.
4. Improved productivity and learning: There are countless educational and productivity apps on the App Store and the Play Store. You can introduce these apps to your kids and help them develop good habits for the future.
5. Social development: Everyone has a phone these days, and the whole social environment revolves around these devices. You can’t deprive your kid of a mobile phone as they will fall behind in their social development. With these devices, your kid will be able to remain in touch with their friends and teachers all day.

Considering all of these factors, I am sure you’ll realize that a cell phone is a necessity for your kids.

How to find the best cell phone plans for your kids?

Picking a suitable cell phone plan for your kid isn’t an easy task. You’ll have to consider so many factors, from the age of your child to the budget impact of the cell phone plan. The following details will further expand your perspective.

Considerations when picking a suitable cell phone plan for kids

1. Budget: Price point is the first thing that you need to consider, especially if you have a big family. Spending more than 30 bucks per kid on a single plan will set you back a lot at the end of the month. So, consider an option that doesn’t weigh heavy on your budget.
2. Data: Even though you might want unlimited data for yourself, you might not have the same intentions for your child. A limited plan of around 30 to 50 gigs is more than enough for a kid. Any more than 50 gigs and your child might not consider managing their app or data usage.
3. Parental controls: You should only spend money on a plan that allows you all the control like setting data limits and monitoring overall usage. The better the parental controls, the more peace of mind you’ll get about your child’s mobile activities.
4. Tracking: The cell phone plan you choose should offer services like location tracking. These features are incredibly important for your child’s safety.
5. Emergency response: Lastly, the plan you finalize for your child should have the necessary emergency response features. These include immediate contact with the authorities, an SOS feature, and distress call options for emergency contacts.

Considerations about your kid’s needs

1. Age: If your child is a pre-teen, you can just get them a basic plan (lesser data access). However, if you’re dealing with an older teenager, you’ll have to give them access to more data.
2. Coverage: If your child has to travel far and you live in a remote location, then you’ll have to choose an option that specifically targets your location. Otherwise, your child will just run into connectivity errors.
3. Maturity: If your child is a bit mischievous and not disciplined, you will have to get a plan with robust parental controls. Otherwise, your child will just get curious about inappropriate content and use their mobile plan to access mature websites.

These are just some of the factors you need to consider when picking a suitable plan for your children. I’d recommend you focus primarily on the coverage and parental controls. That way, you’ll have more peace of mind about regulating your child’s data usage content exposure.

Best affordable cell phone plans for kids (2024 tested)

Choosing an inexpensive cell phone plan that would be kid-compatible requires juggling price, features, and the child’s particular need. Here are some of the best-tested plans for 2024:

T-Mobile

T-Mobile Essentials offers an affordable plan with 50GB of premium data, unlimited talk, and text for $40/month per line with AutoPay. Ideal for kids, it provides reliable access to T-Mobile’s 5G network with Scam Shield to block unwanted telemarketing calls, making it a practical choice for families.

Verizon

Verizon’s Just Kids plan, with the lowest rate of $25/month, includes 5GB of 4G LTE data, unlimited talk and text conversations with up to 20 contacts, and Smart Family Premium features like location tracking and content filtering for safe and controlled usage by young users.

AT&T

AT&T Unlimited Starter offers unlimited talk, text, and data for $35/month per line with AutoPay. Suitable for older kids, it includes access to AT&T’s 5G network and parental controls through AT&T Secure Family, providing robust monitoring features to manage usage effectively.

Mint

Mint Mobile’s 4GB plan is a highly affordable option at $15/month per line, including 4GB of 4G LTE data, unlimited talk, and text. With no contracts, the plan is flexible and can easily be upgraded or changed based on evolving needs.

Google Fi Simply Unlimited

Google Fi Simply Unlimited is a flexibly economical plan, at $20/month per line for four lines, providing unlimited talk, text, and data. It includes built-in VPN, spam blocking, and data-only SIMs for tablets, making it an ideal, affordable, and secure mobile option for kids.

Use parental control apps for worry-free cell phone use for kids

Many features from parental control apps support parents in effectively controlling children’s digital activities Like, you can rely on apps like FlashGet Kids to monitor and control your child’s mobile activities pretty easily. It is one powerful parental control application designed to keep kids safe in the digital world. Here is how you and your child will benefit from FlashGet Kids.

• Monitoring: This application allows parents to monitor a child’s online activities. They can track their browsing history and app usage, ensuring children do not access inappropriate content or engage in risky behaviors.
• Screen Time Management: These applications let one set limits on the time a kid spends on devices. Screen time management helps achieve a perfect balance between digital use and other important activities, like homework, physical exercises, and family time.
• Location Tracking: It lets you know the exact location of your child when you need it, thus giving you an extra layer of feeling confident and safe.

By leveraging these features, FlashGet Kids helps parents maintain a safe and controlled digital environment for their children, promoting responsible use of mobile phones and data plans.

Bonus: Is unlimited data needed for your kids?

Whether the kid needs unlimited data depends on usage habits, and, of course, it is a matter of your budget considerations. Now, let us see if such plans benefit your child.

Usage Habits

• Calling and Texting: If your child uses the phone mainly for just calling and texting, then unlimited data is likely unnecessary. Basic plans with ample call/text allowance should suffice and keep costs low.
• Educational Apps and Online Learning: A lot of educational apps and online learning resources are not heavy on data; therefore, for most kids, moderate data plans suffice.
• Streaming and Gaming: Unlimited data may be helpful for kids like video streaming and playing online games. Such activities can gobble data very quickly, making a small package very limiting and, hence, likely to incur additional overage charges.

Budget Considerations

• Price: Unlimited data packages generally cost more than limited data packages. Evaluate if the extra amount is something you can afford and is also proportional to the actual data requirements of your child. At times, a package that is capped data-wise is very economical and meets your child’s needs.
• Usage Patterns: Keep an eye on your child’s usage pattern over some time. If you feel that the data use is consistently over the limits, maybe cash-wise, an unlimited plan makes more sense than charges. Similarly, if your child hardly reaches the data limit, capping the limit may be more economical.

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