Phones for kids and teenagers

Knowing when the time is right to get your child a phone will depend on many different factors. For example, your family's lifestyle may mean they need a phone. Whether that's to stay connected with your child or keeping them safe, we have lots of tools and resources to help put you at ease

Balancing affordability, ease of use and parental control when choosing your child's first phone is key. The phone you choose should include age-appropriate features and offer essential functions.

To save money and keep your child's phone safe, you may want to choose a refurbished phone and accessories such as screen protectors and phone cases.

We have a range of phones to suit all budgets and you can find them on our budget phone page

To get the phone you want for less, you can also check out our refurbished phones

It's important to keep your child safe online as smartphones provide access to the internet and social media. That's why it's important to have the right safety settings in place. We've put together some tools and resources together so that you can make the right digital choices for your family. For more advice, check out our Digital Parenting page

A basic phone is a term that is often used for non-smartphones. These phones provide essential functions, like texting or calling, but don't have the capacity to access all online content or apps. Some models have no internet access at all.

Basic phones are great for kids because they're easy to use and have all the necessary features your child could need, They're also a safe alternative for them to take to school or out with friends.

¹Vodafone has not manufactured this device and it may not contain official OEM parts. Phones are refurbished with care by our trusted partners:

• TES AMM

• Ingram Micro

• New Way International

• Elite Mobile

• Unipart Logistics

• Tech Tigers

• PCS wireless

• Olympia

All refurbished devices have had a full diagnostic, visual check and deep clean by our partners.

Each device has had a number of extensive tests performed, to ensure it is fully functional - checking the screen, battery, camera ensuring it is 100% fully functional.

Cosmetic checks are performed to determine if the device is either Pristine, Great or Good.

Saving substantiation:

Based on device only, iPhone SE 3rd gen 64GB, payment over 36 months.

• New brand new device price = £416, Refurbished Good device price = £200, saving £216

• New brand new device price = £416, Refurbished Great device price = £218, saving £198

• New brand new device price = £416, Refurbished Pristine device price = £272, saving £144

Vodafone Assured

Substantiation:

Vodafone Assured: means that all refurbished devices had a full diagnostic, visual check and deep clean by our third party refurbished suppliers.

Each device has had a number of extensive tests performed, to ensure it is fully functional - checking various components of the device, such as the screen, battery, camera ensuring it is 100% fully functional. Cosmetic checks are performed to determine if the device is either excellent or great. More details on the checks on the below table.

To find out more on the third party refurbished suppliers, see the relevant section below.

Kinder to the planet

Buying a refurbished phone has a lower carbon footprint than buying a new one

Substantiation:

A life cycle assessment study (Pamminger, R., Glaser, S. and Wimmer, W., Modelling of different circular end-of-use scenarios for smartphones. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment (2021) 26:470-482) found that a refurbished phone (used for an average 1.93 years) can have a 55% lower contribution to climate change (or 'GWP') compared to a new phone (used for 2.5 years) (according to the study results shown on page 479).

Based on this study, buying and using a refurbished phone can be considered to be kinder to the planet in comparison to buying and using a new phone, because it has a lower negative impact on climate change.

See a consumer-friendly report of the study [PDF: 177KB]

For the full study, see the Springer Link website

Valid as of 1 August 2024, sourced from competitors' website.

Vodafone Secure Net terms and conditions