By Megan Orton
Many of us are increasingly wishing that our kids and tweens could have a way to communicate with friends and family without the worry of handing over a device that allows them to instantly access addictive content like gaming, social media, porn and AI companions. This is why the idea of a “starter phone” has been getting a lot more traction lately. A starter phone is like a learner’s permit, a stepping stone for kids and tweens so they can have a more gradual introduction to smartphone ownership.
There are several good starter phone options out there like Gabb, Troomi and Pinwheel. However, these phones can be expensive, require difficult set-up and are often not supported by the cellular network you have a plan with.
For families who use iPhones, there’s an easy starter phone solution that isn’t getting enough press. It’s called Assistive Access. (Not to be confused with “Guided Access,” which is different). Originally designed to make iPhones friendlier and safer for folks with cognitive disabilities, Assistive Access offers a perfect way to set up a starter phone so that it has exactly what you want on it and nothing that you don’t. Best of all, even the most tech savvy kids and tweens can’t circumvent it.
One of the big benefits of Assistive Access is the convenience. There’s no confusing “parent portal” or tricky set-up and it works with whatever cell carrier you have. It also allows you to pass an old iPhone on to your child, instead of a new, expensive starter phone from Gabb or Pinwheel. As long as your old iPhone runs iOS 17 or later, it has Assistive Access. Kids like it because an iPhone using Assistive Access looks just like any other iPhone, so there’s less pushback about not fitting in like there is with a flip-phone. And if you have an iPhone yourself, you can try it out on your own phone first and see if you like it. If you don’t like it, you haven’t spent a dime. In fact, adults may choose to use Assistive Access on their own phone when they want to make it less tempting and distracting
Another benefit of Assistive Access is safety. It grows with your child, and you get to decide exactly what goes on it and what doesn’t. You can start by creating a phone for your child that just calls and texts (or just calls). When they’re older, you can add other apps as you see fit, and eventually remove Assistive Access all together. It can also be used along with the regular iPhone Parental Controls. And don’t forget, you can use Assistive Access on any iPad that runs iOS 17 or later too.
Here are a few tips to make sure it works well. To ensure your child can’t remove Assistive Access, set the passcode when they’re not in the room with you. It’s best to pick a passcode they can’t guess no matter how hard they try, perhaps the last four digits of your childhood best friend’s phone number. If you don’t have an old iPhone, you can buy a very inexpensive, refurbished one at backmarket.com/en-us. (Just make sure it runs iOS 17 or later). This is where we bought my son’s first phone, which was good, because he dropped it in the toilet the first week.
We all want our kids and teens to develop a healthy relationship with technology and research is showing that the later a child gets their first smartphone, the better their mental health outcome. Starter phones give parents more peace of mind while giving kids more time to run around outside, hang out with friends in-person and develop off-screen hobbies—all of which we know protects their mental health.
To learn more about setting up Assistive Access, visit mindful-media.net, go to the Printouts page and click on Parental Controls for iPhone/iPad under Parents/Family.