- The Pinwheel Home is aimed at kids aged 5-10 years
- It only makes phone calls to approved contacts
- There's an optional subscription for calling real numbers
The question of how much time young people should spend on their smartphones and social media has dominated the headlines in recent months, and a new retro-styled phone from Pinwheel is the latest device looking to give parents easier choices.
When we say retro-styled, we don't mean a classic Nokia or a BlackBerry — we mean a landline. The Pinwheel Home (via TechCrunch) just does calls, and that's it, so there's no chance of your kid getting sucked into Snapchat, Roblox, or YouTube.
It works over Wi-Fi, there are full parental controls built in — so all contacts are pre-approved, and the device can only be used at certain times — and there are absolutely no screens to act as a distraction.
"Pinwheel Home gives kids the freedom to call their friends, make plans, and stay connected, all without borrowing your phone or picking up a screen," explains the official blurb. "You'll be amazed at what they figure out together."
Just the basics
The Pinwheel Home is pitched at kids aged 5-10, so while they may be disappointed they can't start Instagramming, it might be enough to delay the need for a smartphone until they're a little bit older.
Being able to chat to friends, grandparents, and other trusted contacts in a safe space is likely to appeal to many kids and their parents, and it might even encourage real-world meet-ups and activities to get youngsters outdoors.
Pre-orders are open in the US right now, with shipping expected later this year: the Pinwheel Home starts at $68 in a choice of two designs and four colors, with subscriptions beginning at $6.99 a month (international pricing is yet to be announced). You can use the devices without a subscription, but only to call other Pinwheel Homes, not mobiles or landlines.
Pinwheel has been around since 2019 and has previously sold Android phones with child-safe software running on them. With increasing restrictions on what kids can do online anyway, the Pinwheel Home could be the ideal first phone for younger children.
