No matter how they are begging for one, your child may not need a smartphone. Official advice of American Academy of Pediatrics Young children need hands-on social interaction and exploration with peers and caregivers to learn.
That’s not to say you don’t need a digital device to locate them, entertain them, or distract them while you’re doing something else. If you need someone to forgive you, let me second, fourth or tenth person tell you: That’s perfectly fine. Here are some devices that work for me and my kids, they are now 5 and 7 years old. Most of these gifts don’t require parental supervision and the gifts have good parental controls. to limit your child’s use. Our test The best subscription box for kids guidelines and The best tablets for kids guide for more information.
Update November 2022: We’ve added new items, like the new Kindle Paperwhite for kids.
Special Offer for Gear Readers: Get One 1 year subscription for WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you will). Sign up to help fund the work we do every day.
If you buy something using the links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. looking for more information. Please also consider sign up for WIRED
