The Best Phone for Kids — Powered by Bark’s Parental Controls
Starting at $49/month. No contract required.
All plans include a phone, Bark Premium, and wireless service.
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The only phone that comes with Bark built in
Bark’s award-winning monitoring tool scans your child’s texts, emails, social media, and apps for digital dangers and sends you alerts.
A kid’s phone that doesn’t look like a kid’s phone
This isn’t a clunky “kid’s phone,” which can embarrass teens and tweens. It’s a state-of-the-art Samsung that has robust parental controls.
You call the (digital) shots
Every family — and kid — is different, which is why the Bark Phone allows you to add and remove the parental controls you think are best.
Tamper-proof parental controls you can feel confident about
Children can’t delete text messages without permission, download workaround VPNs, or change the parental controls you set.
Pricing & Details
No upfront cost. No contract required. Cancel anytime.
- Bark Phone with USB-C charging cord
- Comes with a subscription to Bark Premium for the entire family
- Includes exclusive Bark Phone features like undeletable texts, location tracking, remote phone lock, and more
- Protective case
- Unlimited talk and text with data plans that fit your family’s needs
- Free shipping
Coverage Map
Check out the Bark Phone on The Drew Barrymore Show
Bark partnered with the Drew Barrymore Show to unveil all of the amazing features of the best phone on the market for kids.
Features You’ll Love
What Parents Are Saying
WATCH: Why the Bark Kid’s Phone is the best option for families
Bark’s CMO, Titania Jordan, sits down with Brandon Hilkert, CTO, to discuss why the Bark Phone will be a game-changer for families.
The Bark Phone vs Other Kid's Phones
See how the Bark Phone’s comprehensive protection stacks up against other popular phones for kids.
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Bark Premium is included in the phone's price, comes built into the Bark Phone and can't be deleted. Bark Premium includes text message and content monitoring alerts, screen time, web blocking, safe search browsing, YouTube restricted mode, and location tracking.
Gabb has its own parental controls built in, which does not include content monitoring and alerts.
Today, Bark comes pre-downloaded on the Pinwheel and can be purchased separately for $5/ mo. However, Bark will be unable to be purchased through Pinwheel devices after 12/20/22.
Troomi’s parental controls are called KidSmart OS and include things like text message monitoring and the option to add a safe web browser.
iPhones come with Apple Screen Time, but it doesn’t have a monitoring tool.
You decide as a parent whether messages can be removed from the Bark Phone.
Kids can delete texts, but parents can recover them.
The Pinwheel Slim doesn’t allow kids to delete texts.
Child can delete messages on the device but parents can still view deleted messages through their parent portal.
Child can delete messages on the device.
A case is included in the cost of the Bark Phone.
Cases are available for purchase at checkout.
Cases are available for purchase at checkout.
Cases are not offered for sale.
Depends on the provider.
Bark automatically monitors texts, Chrome, TikTok, Snapchat, Discord, WhatsApp, KIK, and more — if you chose to allow these apps. You can also block them whenever you choose.
Gabb Phone Plus does not have internet access or the ability to download social media apps.
Only if you pay for a Bark Premium membership.
Since Troomi has its own curated list of apps, they do not monitor activity on them.
iPhones don’t come with a monitoring tool.
Kids can’t change your settings.
Kids can’t change your settings.
Kids can’t change your settings.
Kids can’t change your settings.
Kids often find workarounds for Apple Screen Time.
The Bark Phone is a Samsung A13.
The Gabb Phone Plus is a Samsung A10e, but is easily recognizable as a “Gabb” device because of branding.
The Pinwheel phone is a BLU G91s.
The Troomi phone is a Samsung A13.
iPhones are regular phones.
You can allow access to the app store at any time — or block it. You can also control which apps your child can install.
The Gabb Phone Plus does not allow access to the app store, but instead, has a curated list of third-party apps that they deem safe. Apps outside of this list cannot be downloaded on the phone.
The Pinwheel Slim allows access to only curated apps. It’s not possible to add apps not included on that curated list.
Troomi has a list of curated apps that can be downloaded on the phone. Apps outside of this list cannot be downloaded.
Parents can allow the app store when needed.
You can allow access to a web browser at any time — or block it. It’s up to you. Safe search browsing and YouTube restricted mode are automatically enabled.
The Gabb Phone Plus does not allow web browsers.
Web browsers are not allowed on Pinwheels.
Parents can add Troomi’s KidSmart Safe Browser, which allows you to add acceptable sites one at a time.
Safari is Apple’s built-in web browser but you can also download others.
Nearly every setting on the Bark Phone is customizable, making it work for kids of any age.
The settings on the Gabb Phone Plus are not customizable and there is no option to add certain functions later on.
Some things older teens may need – like social media and a web browser – are never allowed.
There are some customizable settings on the Troomi phone but other things — like social media apps — are never allowed.
You can customize settings on iPhones.
The Bark Phone is available on a month-to-month basis and you can cancel at any time.
Technically no contract is required but there’s a higher upfront cost if not chosen.
No contract is required with the Pinwheel. But you will have to add cell service separately, which could require a contract.
No contract is required.
Depends on your plan and carrier.
Unlimited talk and text is included with every Bark phone plan.
Unlimited talk and text are included under the Gabb plan.
You can add your own cell service or use the Pinwheel-recommended Mint Mobile for an additional fee.
Unlimited talk and text with tiered data plans.
Depends on your plan and carrier.
Behind the Scenes with the Bark Phone
Watch Titania Jordan give you a front-row seat to the coolest features of the best kid’s phone on the market — the Bark Phone.
FAQs
The Bark Phone for kids is a Samsung A13. We purposely designed it so that it wouldn’t be recognizable as a “kiddie” phone. No one will know it’s a Bark Phone unless you tell them. Bark’s powerful parental controls are all internal — there’s no Bark branding, logos, or other tell-tales that would broadcast it as a kid’s phone.
It comes with all the standard features of a Samsung A13 phone.
Regardless of whether a parent has an iPhone or an Android, they will be able to manage the Bark Phone with no issues, so don’t worry about compatibility problems.
Bark Phone plans start at $49/month with no contract required. We have three monthly data options to fit your family’s needs:
- $49/month for unlimited talk, text, and Wi-Fi only (no data)
- $59/month for unlimited talk, text, and 4GB data
- $69/month for unlimited talk, text, and 8GB data
Each phone plan comes with a Bark Premium subscription and will cover any other kids, devices, and accounts a user’s family has. You won’t pay for an extra Bark subscription if you already have Bark Premium — we will adjust your plan and prorate the remaining amount left and apply it to the subscription.
The Bark Phone for kids is the result of years of experience in the online safety industry and real-life conversations with the people whose opinion counts the most: families raising kids with phones in the digital age.
We’ve created a device that integrates Bark’s software seamlessly, resulting in a comprehensive and robust parental control experience.
It also comes with exclusive features that weren’t possible with just a downloadable app. The Bark Phone gives parents unprecedented oversight of their child’s online experience, including GPS-powered location tracking, call blocking, contact management, and automatic monitoring for texts and many apps and social media platforms.
Its native controls are tamper-proof, providing parents with peace of mind that the rules they set stay in place. Bark can’t be deleted, even if you factory reset it.
The best part of the Bark Phone? It grows with your child as they mature. For younger kids, you can keep the phone locked down with as little functionality as a flip phone. As they get older, you can add in additional freedoms, functionality, and apps — or scale back anytime boundaries are needed.
- USB-C charging cord
- Unlimited talk and text
- Protective case
- A data plan that fits your family’s needs
- Bark Premium subscription for the Bark Phone as well as for all of the other devices and accounts in your family
If you already have a Bark Premium subscription, that’s okay! We will adjust your plan and prorate the remaining amount left and apply it to your Bark Phone subscription.
Right now, the Bark Phone for kids is only available for families located in the U.S.
You know your child best, which is why the Bark Phone gives you full control over the apps they can access. You can block every app that a Samsung A13 could download, or you can allow them all — or somewhere in between, which is where most families will fall.
The Bark Phone is powered by the award-winning technology that made the Bark app a trusted name for families across the world. It’s the result of years of experience understanding what families need and want when it comes to kids’ devices.
Secondly, we made it completely customizable, because every family — and kid — is different. For younger kids, you can make the Bark Phone work essentially like a non-smartphone. As they get older and become ready for more responsibility, you can add in functionality and access to web browsing, apps, social media, and more.
The Specs
- What's Included
-
Device
Data cable
Quick start guide - Product Name
- Galaxy A13 32GB
- Brand
- Samsung
- Phone Style
- Smartphone
- Operating System
- Android 12
- Internal Memory
- 32 GB
- Screen Size
- 6.6 inches
- Water Resistant
- No
- Phone Memory (RAM)
- 3 GB
- Front-Facing Camera
- 8 MP
- Rear-Facing Camera
- 50 MP
- Processor Model
- Exynos 850
- Internet Connectable
- Yes
- Voice Assistant Built-in
- Google Assistant
- Wireless Technology
- 2G, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, LTE
- Model Number
- SM-A135UZKDXAA
- Color
- Black
- Bluetooth Enabled
- Yes
- Charging Interface
- USB Type C
- Carrier
- Data and coverage provided by Bark
- Email Capable
- Yes
- Built-In GPS
- Yes
- Sensors
- Accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint sensor, geomagnetic sensor, proximity sensor
- Voice Activated
- Yes
- Wireless Charging
- No
- Headphone Jack
- Yes
- Display Type
- LCD
- Screen Resolution
- 2400 x 1080
- Touch Screen
- Yes
- Integrated Camera
- Yes, Front and Back
- Battery Capacity
- 5000 milliampere hours
- Camera Resolution (Front)
- 8.0 MP
- Camera Resolution (Rear)
- 50.0 MP + 5.0 MP + 2.0 MP + 2.0 MP
- Video Recording Resolution
- FHD (1920 x 1080)@30fps
- Main Camera - Flash
- Yes
- Main Camera - Auto Focus
- Yes
- Front Camera - F Number
- F2.2
- Front Camera - Auto Focus
- No
- Main Camera - F Number (Multiple)
- F1.8, F2.2, F2.4, F2.4
Ready for a phone that’s safer right out of the box?
Plans start at just $49/month with no contract required.