Parenting in a tech world is HARD, and deciding which kid’s phone best suits your child can feel overwhelming. Like most things today, knowing who to trust regarding reliable products is sometimes a gamble. There are so many varying opinions, and once you’ve gone down the rabbit hole and done your research, you might come out more confused than before. Thankfully, choosing the Bark Phone for kids is an easy decision for most parents, including me, when it comes to their kids starter phone.
The Bark Phone is hands down the best kids cell phone that my 14-year-old son and I have tested thus far. Not only does it check all the boxes of what parents are looking for to keep their kids safer — web filtering, social media monitoring, sensitivity settings, and screen time limits — but it also looks just like a regular Android phone with a camera, eliminating your child from feeling singled out for having a “kiddy” phone. *Please note I only review and recommend products I’ve tested and tried myself. This is a paid partnership, but I would never recommend anything I do not stand behind 100%. I may make a commission when you purchase a Bark Phone through these links so I can keep doing what I love — helping parents nurture a peaceful home environment. Thanks in advance for supporting the cause! It’s easy to set up, affordable, and has more capabilities than other kids’ phones. Not only that, it’s made by a company that genuinely cares about your child’s safety. I have been partnering with Bark, a parental control company, for a long time in the mission of digital wellness and protecting kids online. I can testify to the fact that they work hard to keep your kids safe from online dangers lurking around every corner. They are simply the best in their field. Check out my Bark App review here if you’re also considering monitoring all the devices in your home. I cover the Bark App — Bark Premium or Bark Jr — and Bark Home, which is great for smart TVs and online gaming. After trying it for myself, I’m even more excited that there’s finally a phone out there I can trust to keep my child safe online.
Is the Bark Phone worth it?
Now more than ever, I think a cell phone for kids like the Bark Phone is worth its weight in gold. A better question might be, is it worth it to keep your child from experiencing depression and anxiety at the hands of social media? What about suicide ideation? Or drugs? How about trafficking? Blackmail? Cyberbullying? It’s kind of a no-brainer, right? When choosing a safe phone for your kids, you might wonder, “Why not just let my child use an old iPhone and put the Bark Parent Control on it?” While the Bark App is an incredible option for keeping your child safe online, especially if you have tablets or iPads, it has limitations, especially on iOS Apple devices. Cyberbullying, online predators, and exposure to age-inappropriate content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are the most outstanding digital dangers for children. So, when using a parental control app on your child’s device, whatever company you choose will perform better on an Android device because they don’t have any third-party restrictions to deal with. Check out more on that here. But why not ensure your child is protected from all angles and get a phone built to protect them so you don’t have to worry? I highly recommend this phone for many reasons, but let’s talk about WHY your children might need the Bark Phone and what it protects them from.
Parenting in a tech world – the problem at hand
With what we now know about mental health problems in children associated with social media and online usage, parents no longer have an excuse for allowing their kids unmonitored or unlimited access to their digital devices. Having a 14-year-old, I understand the burden of raising kids in a digital world, always asking myself, “What is my kid looking at online?” It’s overwhelming, especially if you aren’t tech-savvy. When your 8-year-old starts teaching YOU how to operate the settings in your phone, it’s easy to feel inadequate in your tech skills. But don’t let that hinder you from protecting your children online and educating yourself about what they are up against. There are great companies and influencers whose sole mission is to partner with parents to keep their kids safe online. Protect young eyes, Thorne, Bark, Common Sense Media, Parents Who Fight, and many more. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to watch the documentary “Social Media Dangers – Childhood 2.0.” You will learn WHY it’s crucial to install parental control apps like Bark on your child’s device or get them the Bark Kid’s Phone.
As a society, we need to do better for our kids
Parents can’t expect their children to know what to do with this online world, and I don’t only mean the obvious digital dangers like sexual predators or suicidal ideation. You also have to consider the role social media plays in how your kids view themselves and others: They might believe they are worthless because they didn’t get many likes on their post; they might believe lies about themselves and become depressed because of something someone said about their appearance; they can be influenced and brainwashed by dangerous influencers who are not mentally stable; they can accumulate toxic online friendships where there is no accountability; it can affect their brain development; they might compare themselves to others. Dangers are lurking everywhere, and not just in the dark corners of the internet. While some apps may appear to be innocent and safe, predators are now using these avenues to access your children. And what they are doing is an abomination. Every day, a child whose phone is not being monitored is being chipped away at, reminded of how inadequate they are, that they should look different, be someone they’re not, find their worth and identity in the next trend, do this, eat that, and end up confused and alone. Then, the child, who is now vulnerable, insecure, and willing to do whatever it takes to fit in, falls victim to predators. Whether it’s sex, alcohol, trafficking, suicide, marketing, or drugs, don’t assume your child will not be targeted. Because if your child is online or on social media, they are a target. I know you don’t want this for your child. But this implies you, the parent, need to take action to protect their devices and be intentional about your relationship with them. It means that your family, as a whole, needs to practice digital wellness.
Check out the stats from Bark’s annual report; these are just MONITORED phones’ stats.
“35.7% of tweens and 64.3% of teens were involved in a self-harm/suicidal situation. 62.4% of tweens and 82.2% of teens encountered nudity or content of a sexual nature. 9.4% of tweens and 14.2% of teens encountered predatory behaviors from someone online. 4.4% of tweens and 15.1% of teens engaged with or encountered content about disordered eating. 19.3% of tweens and 41.2% of teens used language or were exposed to language about anxiety. 71.2% of tweens and 83.3% of teens experienced bullying as a bully, victim, or witness.” Check out the rest of Bark’s annual report here.
A Simple Solution – The Bark Phone for Kids
Now, when I say solution, I don’t mean that once your child gets a Bark Phone, they are free from online dangers. No doubt your child can look at their peer’s phone without parental controls at school and experience something damaging. And that’s where the open and honest relationship comes in that you’ve built with your child — they know they can share their heart and experiences with you — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Ultimately, working to strengthen your relationship will help your family navigate the negative impacts of digital dangers. Because when your child experiences something damaging online, which they will at some point or another, they will have you to help them through it. But if you want to lessen those harmful online experiences, and know when they happen, getting the Bark Phone is a great solution that will heavily limit their access to various digital dangers and alert you of anything they’ve encountered that is harmful to their mental or physical health.
5 Reasons the Bark Phone is the Best Smartphone for Kids
I’ve represented and promoted the Bark App to parents everywhere for years. Since then, I’ve been exploring and reviewing kids’ phones, all tested by me and my teenage son, who definitely hasn’t complained along the way. What kid DOESN’T want the job of testing out phones? So far, all the tested phones have not lived up to the Bark Phone. There’s a reason it was named one of Time’s Best Inventions of 2023! Also, check out these Reddit comments on real parents and their experience with the Bark Kids Phone.
1. The Bark Phone knocks the other kid’s smartphones out of the water.
Bark has the best and safest features compared to competitors Other popular smartphones for kids include Pinwheel, Gabb Phone, MMGuardian, and a few others. These are the ones we’ve tried for ourselves over the past few years, and we are by far the happiest with Bark. Pinwheel used to be our phone of choice, but it lacked some features and protective measures — it just doesn’t stand up to the Bark Phone in terms of quality, features, and loopholes.
The Pinwheel and Gabb Phone have limited apps or no app capabilities at all, and no web browser
As my son got older, the limitations of certain apps on his Pinwheel or Gabb phone became a problem. Even though you can download apps on the Pinwheel, they are limited to what they’ve pre-approved. As a homeschool mom, I want my son to be able to download apps that work for learning and exploring. As he matures, I want to be able to add more beneficial apps for him so that I, as the parent, can decide on what those apps would be. For example, part of his schooling is going out on our 20-acre property, identifying certain plants, and writing a report on them. An app called “Picture This” identifies plants by taking a picture and gives you the details of that plant. Pinwheel does not allow this app. It was moments like this I was frustrated by the limitations of Pinwheel and Gabb. I also love that when he gets older, we will have the option to add in a web browser, knowing it’s backed by powerful web filtering.
My issue with MMGuardian
Regarding capabilities and features, the MMGuardian Phone is similar to the Bark Phone, but there is a loophole within the GIF option when texting. Kids can access the GIFs while texting and look up inappropriate content. If they actually send a GIF, the monitoring would catch it, but there is no monitoring on what is looked up within the GIF feature. I brought this to their attention, but they said they could do nothing. When I switched to Bark, I asked them if blocking the ability to look up and send GIFs was possible. They made it happen. You can fully block your child from looking at or sending GIFs. This is yet another reason why Bark is my top choice. If you present them with an issue, they work to resolve it because they care about your child’s well-being. Before choosing which phone is best for your child, here’s a comparison model.
2. The Bark Phone looks just like a regular Android phone
Parenting in this digital age, we must teach our children what to do with technology instead of banning it altogether. The Bark Phone is an incredible way to do that. Your child won’t feel excluded at school, AND you can protect them simultaneously with full access to what your kids are experiencing through your parent dashboard.
3. The Bark Phone helps protect your children from online dangers
Get alerted every time your child has an interaction with sexual predators, cyberbullying, threats of violence, profanity, adult content, or anything that is potentially harmful. With powerful web filtering and monitoring across apps, you can rest assured that your child is safer online. Whether it’s YouTube, WhatsApp, Google, Facebook, Instagram, or various social media platforms, the Bark Phone will do the heavy lifting for you. More recently, Bark now includes monitoring Pinterest and Roblox.
4. Includes exclusive Bark Phone features
Comes with a Bark Premium subscription for the whole family
Text message monitoring that parents can choose to allow them to be deleted or not
GPS Location tracking
Remote phone lock
Unlimited talk and text
Block websites and apps
Set screen time limits
Receive alerts for dangers
Kids can’t delete texts without permission
Powerful internet filtering
Remote alarms
Designate emergency contacts
5. The Bark Phone grows with your child and gives parents peace of mind
I’ve chatted with a few friends whose parental control strategy looks like asking for their child’s phone every few days, going through all their texts and emails, and checking their web history. While this is definitely one way to do things, it’s not sustainable, your child can find loopholes, and it’s exhausting. That’s why the Bark app and the Bark Kids Phone are incredible ways to give you peace of mind and not strain your relationship with your child. Bark creates an environment of accountability in the home — something I believe we ALL need. In our home, we all stay accountable to one another and don’t single out our kids as the only ones who need accountability. When we do this, we model for our kids that accountability in life is a good thing. It nurtures relationships, keeps us safe, and protects our minds.
The Bark Phone grows with your child
As your kids mature, they may want to text with their friends just between them. The Bark phone allows this by only alerting you to anything potentially harmful. I believe this is a better way of keeping your kids safe because it provides respect for privacy for older kids. The Bark Phone can be heavily monitored and filtered for young kids and then adjusted as need be for your older teen, making it the best for growing with your child.
Why we use the Bark Phone
We use the Bark Phone for our 14-year-old to teach him that accountability in life is a good thing. We also want to show him that technology is beneficial when used in moderation and responsibly. The Bark Phone supports our vision of raising our kids to live outside the digital world without being consumed by their phones. We feel like Bark partners with parents to raise a generation that isn’t lost to technology but uses it for good. I am so excited to be part of the mission to protect children online, which can have a devastating impact on young people’s minds. When you purchase a Bark Phone, you’re taking a positive step toward your child’s well-being—mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Pros and Cons of the Bark Phone
Pros:
No contract
No hidden fees (affordable plans starting at $29/mo with $10/mo lease for phone)
Remote internet shutdown
Built-in web browser
Excellent text message monitoring
Location tracking and geofencing
Contact management
Spam call blocking
Screen time schedules
Cons
Can’t choose your carrier, it has its own Bark Wireless (can be a pro for some)
Short Warranty (1 year), but they DO have a new protection plan! Check it out here.
Common Questions
Can I transfer my child’s existing phone number, or will they need a new number?
Thankfully, Bark Phone allows you to either transfer your child’s old number or get a new number.
How much does the Bark Phone cost per month?
Plans start at $29/month plus $10 monthly for the phone, no contract, and you can pay off the phone early at any time.
What are the downsides of the Bark Phone?
I honestly don’t have any issues with the Bark Phone, but I will certainly update this if I encounter any.
Can my child delete the Bark App from their phone?
No, your child cannot delete the Bark App off their phone; you, as the parent, will have to give permission for this to happen. Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or concerns, and I’ll do my best to address them. Bark also has an incredible team that works hard to provide you with the best possible experience when choosing a smartphone for your child.
