A new stripped-down iPhone is hitting the market, designed with kids in mind, and it’s aimed at parents who are worried about too much screen time. This “no-frills” phone removes web browsers and social media apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, so kids can stay away from endless scrolling and distractions.
A New Kind of iPhone for Kids
Offered by a US-based company, the phone is now available in the UK for £99 a month. The goal? To help children “reconnect with real life” – not just cut down on screen time, but truly shift how they use their phones. While the price is on the higher side, the company says it’s a small trade-off for more peace of mind and a healthier relationship with technology.
Sage Mobile, a new iPhone 16 with special software built in, comes at a steep price. It costs more than double what a typical two-year iPhone contract would. But for parents who want to protect their kids from online dangers, it might be worth it. The phone reflects a growing concern among families about how to guide kids safely into the digital world.
Rising Concerns Around Kids and Smartphones
Studies have shown that kids who struggle with smartphone overuse are twice as likely to deal with anxiety and nearly three times more likely to face depression, compared to those with healthier phone habits.
The launch of Sage Mobile comes just ahead of new UK rules taking effect next Friday. These rules will require strong age checks to access online porn.
Chris Kaspar, the founder of Techless, the US company behind the phone, said that most smartphones come with settings that make it easy for kids to get into trouble online. “Right now they are selling cars without seatbelts,” he said. “We want the defaults to be safe and healthy.”
The phone will feature its own app store, carefully managed by Sage Mobile. Only practical apps will be available, such as banking, public transport, school tools, calendars, and weather.
In the US, a similar version of the device showed that kids used it for just 15 minutes to an hour a day. That is a big difference from the UK average of nearly three hours daily among 8- to 14-year-olds. Kaspar explained that kids often lose interest in the phone because “it’s not as magical, it’s not as fun”, which leads to many recovered “life hours.”
Because of its high price, the Sage Mobile phone is likely to sell in the thousands rather than millions. The cost comes from its flexible contract, which can be canceled at any time, and from removing browsers and the full app store, which are usually big sources of revenue for phone companies.
“Until now, this is still a niche market and people, especially parents, are not ready to pay a significant premium for a dumb phone,” said Thomas Husson, principal analyst at Forrester, a market research company.
The phone is aimed at parents who want to limit their children’s smartphone use. Just this week, primary schools in Hampshire became the latest to ban phones.
Other similar phones are already available, including ones sold under the Pinwheel and Balance brands.
Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign, said it’s really hard to fully strip down a phone so it’s safe for teens, especially since many are good at finding ways to get around restrictions.
“There is real demand for something like this from parents, especially of teens who don’t want to be lumbered with a phone that sticks out like a Nokia,” she said.
“But the price will be prohibitive for most people. It’s children from low-income families who are most at risk from harm online and £99 a month is out of their range. That’s not this company’s fault, but is a function of today’s digital ecosystem.
“The government must make stronger policies to protect all children and not just those whose parents have enough money to do it themselves.”
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