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Only When Needed: Phones for young kids that are more for parents' peace of mind.

Parents need to decide for themselves when the time is right for their child to receive his or her first cell phone, and what features it should have. Assuming that most 5-10 year olds don't have huge social networks they need to maintain, simple phones with entry-level feature sets make the most sense. This year, Phone Scoop scoured the carriers' lineups for inexpensive handsets that cover the basics, and cover them well. Most can be tracked via parental monitoring tools online, and they have cameras and the ability to send text messages.

AT&T
Samsung A197
buy it

Sprint
Sanyo Vero
buy it

T-Mobile
LG dLite
buy it

Verizon
Samsung Gusto
buy it

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