---
title: "What to Give a 9-Year-Old Instead of a Phone (2026)"
description: "Kids' smartwatches, landlines, audio players, basic phones or nothing yet: what each is good for, what to watch out for, and questions to ask first."
canonical: https://learn.askpoppy.ai/guides/instead-of-a-phone/
last_updated: 2026-11-04
---

# What to give a 9-year-old instead of a phone

Start with the need. To reach you, a kids' smartwatch with calling. To call friends from home, a kids' landline. For something of their own without a feed, an audio player. For homework help, a parent-managed app on a shared family device. Many 9-year-olds need only one of these, or none yet.

[Try Ask Poppy free](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757080904?pt=124290112&ct=learn-instead-of-phone&mt=8)

**Ask Poppy** is voice-first homework help for kids around 7 to 10, and teens and adults too: it asks what you have tried and gives one hint at a time, so you learn how to find the answer. **Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month** (US App Store) · iPhone, iPad, Mac

Written by the Ask Poppy team, who make one of the tools mentioned here. The advice works with any AI, or none. We haven't run a controlled study of our own app.

## Start with the need, not the device

|  | Good fit | Watch out for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| To reach you on the way home | Kids' smartwatch with calling: Apple Watch For Your Kids (needs a cellular Apple Watch and a parent's iPhone to set up) or Gabb Watch (calls, texts, GPS; ages 5 to 12 per Gabb) | A screen on the wrist, a monthly plan, and Apple's version is not available in every country |
| To call friends and grandparents from home | A kids' landline such as Tin Can: Wi-Fi, approved contacts only, call hours you set; free Tin Can-to-Tin Can plan, $9.99/month to call any number | Only works at home on Wi-Fi |
| Something of their own that isn't a feed | Yoto Player or Toniebox: audio stories and music chosen by you, no screen and no open web | Cards and figures add up; no conversation or homework help |
| A basic phone for calls and texts | Gabb Phone (no browser or app store, ages 9 to 14 per Gabb) or a simple feature phone | More of a "phone" in practice; still a device in the bedroom |
| Homework help | A parent-managed app on a shared family tablet or laptop, used in a shared room | It is still a screen; choose one that asks questions back rather than handing over answers |
| Nothing yet | A clear family plan for when a phone happens; Wait Until 8th pledges with other families | Harder if every friend has one: that is why the pledge groups families by class |

Prices and features from each company's own page, checked 4 Nov 2026. Gabb lists the Gabb Watch 3e at $229.99 and Gabb Phone 4 at $249.99, plus a monthly plan. We haven't tested these products.

## Questions to ask before you buy anything

1. What exactly does my child need it for, this term?
2. Can it open the web, an app store, or messages from strangers?
3. Who controls the contacts, and can my child change that?
4. Where does it live at night?
5. What is the monthly cost, and can we stop it?

## Where the Poppy device fits

We are building a one-button, screen-free Poppy device for homework help and curious questions: your child presses the button, talks, and Poppy talks back with questions and hints. It is in development. On askpoppy.ai you can reserve one with a fully refundable $30 toward a planned $200 price; estimated shipping is spring 2027 and the design may change. It is not a phone, can't make calls, and won't replace a watch for reaching you. Until it ships, the Ask Poppy app offers the same voice-first homework help on a shared family iPhone, iPad or Mac.

More: [screen-free AI and audio tools for kids](/best-ai/screen-free-ai-for-kids/) · [Yoto vs Toniebox vs an AI voice companion](/compare/yoto-vs-tonies-vs-ai-voice-tutor/)

## Where Ask Poppy fits

We make Ask Poppy, so weigh this accordingly. It's a voice-first thinking companion app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. A child holds to talk and Poppy speaks back; it asks what they already know and offers one hint at a time rather than leading with the answer. Parents can add up to three child profiles and open each child's conversations (children are told a parent can see them), and can switch Poppy's memory off for each child. It can look things up on the web and check national curriculum goals (fullest for Norway, Sweden and Finland; core subjects for England, France, Germany and Spain). Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store). It is designed not to hand over the answer, but like any AI it can slip, and it can make mistakes. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development. On askpoppy.ai you can reserve one with a fully refundable $30 toward a planned $200 price; estimated shipping is spring 2027 and the design may change. The app works fully on its own.

**Sources (checked 4 Nov 2026):** [Wait Until 8th](https://www.waituntil8th.org/) · [Apple Support: Apple Watch For Your Kids](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109036) · [gabb.com](https://gabb.com/) · [tincan.kids](https://www.tincan.kids/) · [Yoto Player 4th Gen (Yoto)](https://us.yotoplay.com/yoto-player) · [Toniebox 2 (tonies)](https://us.tonies.com/products/toniebox2-sky-blue) · [Common Sense Media, AI toys risk assessment, Jan 2026](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/ai-ratings/csm-ai-risk-assessment-ai-toys-01142026.pdf) · [Ask Poppy on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ask-poppy-ai-tutor-mentor/id6757080904?pt=124290112&ct=learn-instead-of-phone&mt=8). Ask Poppy facts are from the current app and its App Store listing. US prices; they vary by country, retailer and sale. Spot something out of date? Email [simon@askpoppy.ai](mailto:simon@askpoppy.ai).

**Homework help without a phone of their own** Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help, built first for kids around 7 to 10 and their parents. Your child talks the question through, and Poppy asks what they've tried and gives one hint at a time instead of handing over the answer, so they learn how to find it. Parents set up each child's profile and can see their conversations, and memory can be turned off per child. Teens and adults use it too. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development.

**Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month** (US App Store prices) on iPhone, iPad and Mac. (Disclosure: this site is made by the Ask Poppy team.)

[Try Ask Poppy free](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757080904?pt=124290112&ct=learn-instead-of-phone&mt=8) [See the screen-free device](https://askpoppy.ai/?utm_source=learn&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=instead-of-phone&utm_content=end)

## Questions

### What can I give my 9-year-old instead of a phone?

It depends on the need. To reach you: a kids' smartwatch with calling, such as Apple Watch For Your Kids or Gabb Watch. To call friends from home: a kids' landline like Tin Can. For entertainment without a feed: an audio player such as Yoto or Toniebox. For homework help: a parent-managed app on a shared family device. Many families need only one of these, or none.

### At what age do kids get their first smartphone?

Wait Until 8th says 10 is the average age children get their first smartphone. Its pledge asks parents to wait until at least the end of 8th grade, and says a basic phone or smartwatch for calls and texts is still allowed.

### Is a smartwatch better than a phone for a 9-year-old?

For staying in touch, often yes: calls, messages and location without a web browser or social media. But it is still a screen on the wrist and a monthly plan, and some need a parent's iPhone or a specific carrier. Check what it can do before you buy.

### Is there a screen-free AI device for kids?

Few are on sale for homework. Ours is a one-button, screen-free Poppy device that is in development, not on sale yet. Most AI toys are built for play and companionship, and Common Sense Media advises caution with them.

## Related

- [Best screen-free AI and audio tools for kids](/best-ai/screen-free-ai-for-kids/)
- [Yoto vs Toniebox vs an AI voice companion](/compare/yoto-vs-tonies-vs-ai-voice-tutor/)
- [Homework on a tablet or on paper?](/guides/homework-on-a-screen/)
- [How to help with homework without giving the answer](/guides/help-with-homework-without-answers/)
- [Homework fights: a calmer 10-minute routine](/guides/homework-fights/)
- [Teach kids to find answers themselves](/guides/find-answers-themselves/)
- [Maths homework you don't understand yourself](/guides/maths-homework-you-dont-understand/)
- [Times tables out loud (free tool)](/times-tables/)
- [Guides on raising kids alongside AI](/ai-and-kids/)

By **Simon Dreyer**, founder of Ask Poppy · Last updated 4 November 2026 · [How we write these pages](/about/)

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