"For years, my 8-year-old son has been asking for a phone. I'm sure he likes the idea of being social and playing games, but he also loves talking. Copper FaceTimes with friends on my phone (calling their Mom's phone) and regularly calls his grandparents to check in. We wanted to give him an age-appropriate amount of freedom and stumbled across a landline-esque phone for kids, the Tin Can."
"It runs off the internet and has parental controls, all with no screen. It's a win-win: he can talk on a schedule that we allow, and he can only call/receive calls from pre-approved numbers. He loves it. As a Mom, I love this baby step into phone ownership. The landline has brought him so much joy Meanwhile, there's an added lesson of learning to dial actual numbers vs. just tapping on a name, which is all he's ever done."
"The phone works from a generated number; the one he chose has an area code from central Michigan. So of course, one of the first things we did - after I put in numbers he could call - was start pranking. I taught him the old "is your refrigerator running" gig and called grandparents, aunts, and uncles with the schtick. When it was over, we laughed about it for hours - pure joy shared by multiple generations."
An 8-year-old was given a Tin Can, a landline-like, internet-based, screen-free phone with parental controls and a generated number. The device allows calls only to and from pre-approved numbers and limits calling to scheduled times. The child enjoys independent conversations, including FaceTimes and regular calls to grandparents, and experienced pride from receiving his own calls. The parent retains their smartphone and audiobooks while the child talks. The phone encouraged learning to dial numbers rather than tapping contacts and enabled playful family pranks that produced shared intergenerational joy. The phone served as an age-appropriate step toward responsibility and independence.
Read at Business Insider
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