AT&T’s budget-friendly phone for kids was designed with parental controls in mind
It may be almost impossible to be a kid these days without a smartphone, but AT&T wants to give parents a decent compromise. The wireless carrier launched its AmiGO Jr. Phone, which combines Samsung hardware and the AT&T app, to give kids a smartphone with built-in parental controls.
The AmiGO Jr. Phone is just a Samsung Galaxy A16, which remains a solid budget smartphone choice with a 50-megapixel main camera, 6.7-inch display, and reliable battery life. However, AT&T has tweaked Samsung’s hardware in its kid-friendly smartphone by including features like live location tracking, safe zones, and screen time restrictions that can be controlled through the AmiGO app. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a smartphone with parental controls, as competitors like Bark and Pinwheel have been on the market for a few years now, but it is the first time a major mobile carrier has offered its own standalone product.
As for the AmiGO Jr. phone, it’s available now on AT&T’s website for $3 per month, but you’ll need to commit to a 36-month contract that offers bill credits. You still have to pay your monthly service fee as an AT&T customer, but it will cost less than buying a Galaxy A16 for $200. For even more security, AT&T also launched its AmiGO Jr. Watch 2 to expand its ecosystem which already includes a tablet designed for children.
