The best iPhone for kids 2025

Macworld

Let’s face it: Kids want iPhones. Their favorite celebrities use them, their parents use them, and some of their friends have them, too. But which iPhone is best for your kid? There are lots of factors to consider, not the least of which is the age of the child in question. When should a child be given their own iPhone? We’ll discuss that in a section below.

For toddlers who need a simple device for watching parent-approved videos and playing some games or educational apps, we recommend avoiding iPhones altogether and getting a basic iPad. It’s affordable, you don’t have to worry about cellular connectivity, and the large size is easy for toddlers still working on their fine motor skills. You can check out our best iPad for kids guide to see if this would be a better fit for your child, and we recommend a look at our best iPad deals roundup so you can get the best prices.

But, once a child gets old enough for phone connectivity to be useful (for mobile internet, texting friends, tracking and being contactable by you), it’s time to step up to a proper iPhone. Apple has just updated the iPhone for 2024, introducing the iPhone 16 series and reducing the prices of the current handsets. How does that change the landscape for the best iPhone for kids? Read on to find out and see our recommendations.

Whatever iPhone you get, you should consider using Screen Time to manage their use. Built into iOS, Screen Time lets you set limits on how long your kid can use their phone, what apps they can download and use, and when they need to put it down for the night. It’s a great way for busy parents to keep tabs on what their kids are doing when they’re not within eyeshot, and ought to be the first thing you set up.

Best iPhone for kids in 2025

Below you will find our top choices for iPhones for children. We aren’t recommending the ultimate iPhones because we think that unless you have a money tree in the garden you won’t want to be spending a whole lot of money on a phone for a child who is just as likely to leave it on a bus or drop it. But if you’d like a wider range of iPhones to choose from read our iPhone buying guide and our iPhone comparison.






Apple iPhone 14: Best iPhone for older kids














Pros

Price

Display size

Good battery life

Decent camera


Cons

Older processor

















Older kids (young teens and high school students) have demanding standards. An iPhone SE may serve them well, but that smaller screen is a little archaic and they’re going to want to look cool in front of their friends. More importantly, photo-taking and social media have started to become an important part of their social life. So if you’re willing to spend more on an iPhone with a more capable camera, Face ID, and a full-screen display, we recommend looking no further than the iPhone 14.

With a 6.1-inch display, it’s considerably bigger than the iPhone SE, which older kids will appreciate, and it has a more modern design and features. The iPhone 14 will deliver, with battery life that will easily last a full day.

You might be wondering why we picked the iPhone 14 over the iPhones 15 and 16. It’s cheaper, which is a good enough reason. But we also think that the iPhone 14 compares very favorably with the iPhone 15. Sure, you’re giving up some of the newer features, such as improvements to the camera, or the iPhone 15’s USB-C port instead of Lightning. The iPhone 14 still has a faster chips and excellent battery life.

The iPhone 14 starts at $599/£599 for 128GB, you pay another $100/£100 for the iPhone 15 and yet another $100/£100 for the iPhone 16. Since your 9th grader is probably going to fill up the memory quickly making TikTok videos and taking selfies and pics for social media and texting with friends, we’d suggest that if you do have a bigger budget that the extra money is spent on increasing the storage in the iPhone 14 rather than the bells and whistles of the newer models.

Read our full

Apple iPhone 14 review






Apple iPhone SE (2022): Best iPhone for younger kids














Pros

Price

Small size

Durability


Cons

No Face ID

Older, less modern, design









Price When Reviewed:

Dès 529 €




Best Prices Today:








Retailer


Price










€209



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Asgoodasnew FR




€254



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€375.99



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€409.99



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€457



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€529



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€559



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Macway FR




€603.37



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€209 at Fnac FR€254 at Asgoodasnew FR€375.99 at RueDuCommerce FR


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Best Prices Today:
Apple iPhone SE (2022): Best iPhone for younger kids







Retailer


Price










€209



View Deal



Asgoodasnew FR




€254



View Deal








€375.99



View Deal








€409.99



View Deal









€457



View Deal








€529



View Deal








€559



View Deal



Macway FR




€603.37



View Deal




Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide

View more prices






Product


Price




Price comparison from Backmarket











If you have a kid at grade school/elementary/primary school who’s mature enough to handle their own phone, you should look no further than the iPhone SE. It’s got the same A15 processor used in the iPhone 13 range, so you know it’s going to perform well and get software updates for years. With a 4.7-inch screen, it’s also pretty small, which is good for younger kids’ hands and pockets. It’s a more than serviceable iPhone, and there’s really nothing your kid may want to do that they won’t be able to, outside of using features like Memoji or Animoji, which require the TrueDepth camera found in the Face ID-equipped higher-end iPhones.

The best part is that it’s inexpensive (for an iPhone) at $429/£429, although that is for the 64GB version, which could fill up quickly if the child in question wants to download plenty of games and content to watch. Stepping up to the 128GB version ($479/£479) can alleviate this, but the price does start to creep up. Still, cutting back on features like the all-screen Liquid Retina display and dual cameras, and sporting Touch ID instead of Face ID saves a lot of cost, so the SE will still be cheaper than all the other iPhones. And since young kids tend to be rough on stuff, even with a good case and screen protector (which are highly recommended), you’re not going to want to risk putting a $700 phone in their hands.

In truth, we don’t really recommend the iPhone SE (2022) for adults (although it can be ideal for the elderly), as in modern terms it seems a bit dated and limited, but for a kid’s first step into the Apple world it would be a great choice.

Read our full

iPhone SE (2022) review






Apple iPhone 16 (128GB): For kids who want everything














Pros

Latest iPhone

Huge improvement in battery life

Supports macro and spatial photography and video recording


Cons

Pricey

















There is of course a certain status that you can only get from having the latest iPhone, and kids certainly aren’t immune to that. There are a lot more reasons to buy the iPhone 16 than there were for the iPhone 15 in 2023, including the new Camera Control button and an improved camera that’s capable of taking macro and spatial photos. That might be handy if your child is often working on projects and wants to expand their artistic eye for the pictures they take.

Perhaps the biggest change for 2024 though, is the huge improvement in battery life. In our tests, we saw a four-hour boost in battery life for the iPhone 16 over the iPhone 15. That’s a drastic improvement. Kids are never aware of the amount of battery their phone uses, so the iPhone 16’s battery life gives them even less to think about.

We also recommend getting a case, see Best iPhone 16 cases.

Read our full

Apple iPhone 16 review






iPhone 15: Best iPhone for kids who want higher-quality photos and video














Pros

48MP sensor in the camera


Cons

iPhone 16 offers much better battery life









Price When Reviewed:

969 €




Best Prices Today:








Retailer


Price










€584.99



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€609.99



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€725.97



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Asgoodasnew FR




€764



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€869



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Macway FR




€869



View Deal








€969



View Deal




Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide

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Product


Price




Price comparison from Backmarket






€584.99 at Fnac FR€609.99 at Darty FR€725.97 at RueDuCommerce FR


View more prices

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Asgoodasnew FRCdiscount FRMacway FRApple



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Best Prices Today:
iPhone 15: Best iPhone for kids who want higher-quality photos and video







Retailer


Price










€584.99



View Deal








€609.99



View Deal








€725.97



View Deal



Asgoodasnew FR




€764



View Deal









€869



View Deal



Macway FR




€869



View Deal








€969



View Deal




Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide

View more prices






Product


Price




Price comparison from Backmarket











While the iPhone 16 is a better overall phone, the iPhone 15 is no slouch. It has a better camera than the iPhone 14, shooting at higher resolution to provide better quality. It also records excellent video that kids can use in presentations or social media.

The main drawback to the iPhone 15 is its battery life–it’s actually very good but the iPhone 16 offers a dramatic improvement. But otherwise, the iPhone 15 is a top performer and can handle anything you child wants to do on it, including streaming videos, games, and a lot more.

Read our full

Apple iPhone 15 review






iPhone 13 mini – Best value iPhone for kids














Pros

Fantastic size

Lightweight

Great cameras


Cons

Discontinued by Apple so harder to find

Battery life isn’t amazing

















Apple has discontinued the iPhone 13 mini, but if you can get hold of one it is an excellent choice for youngsters with a small frame that is perfect for small hands.

The device shares most of the attributes of its bigger brother the iPhone 13, including the processor and twin rear cameras. Somehow the engineers at Apple still managed to fit a 5.4-inch display into a device that’s smaller than the iPhone SE.

One thing to bear in mind is that the smaller nature of the mini means that battery life can be a little lacking. So, if you’re expecting your kid to be on it all the time, especially when out and about, we’d suggest maybe picking up a portable power bank to top up the battery if things get low. As the iPhone 13 mini supports MagSage, you can choose one from our roundup of the best MagSafe portable battery packs and power banks.

Read our full

Apple iPhone 13 mini review






Buy a refurbished iPhone

Before you buy one of the phones mentioned above our advice is to explore the second-hand and refurbished market. Buying a second-hand or refurbished iPhone can save you a lot of money.

Your first port of call should be Apple’s Refurbished store where A