The Other phone: the new smartphone that puts child safety first

If you’ve ever handed your phone over for ‘just five minutes’ and found that your child is still glued to it an hour later, you’ll know how easy it is for screens to take over. And when it comes to giving your child their first phone, the mix of relief (you can contact them!) and dread (you can reach them… but so can everyone else) is real.

That’s the dilemma that led to the creation of the Other phone, a new safety-first smartphone designed with Mumsnet users to help parents give their kids a first phone that doesn’t come with a side order of social media doomscrolling. It's a standout choice for parents searching for the best phone for kids.

Built on Nothing’s popular and award-winning CMF hardware - known for its cutting-edge performance - and powered by new and advanced SafetyMode software, the Other phone promises to do something the big tech players haven’t: put child safety at the centre of smartphone design.

Why a “safe smartphone” was needed

When Mumsnet surveyed thousands of parents earlier this year, one message came through loud and clear: most parents feel overwhelmed by the challenge of keeping their children safe online. 

• 77% say keeping their child safe online feels like an impossible task

• 88% are concerned about excess screen time

• 86% are concerned about the effect on their child’s mental health and attention span

• Only 1 in 3 (34%) rated the parental control apps they currently use as very effective

Many said they’d given their child a phone earlier than they wanted to - 59% in fact - simply because it felt essential for school life or getting to and from activities safely.

But the compromises that come with most smartphones - social media, addictive apps, endless notifications - left parents feeling uneasy. As one Mumsnet user put it: “I want her to be contactable, not constantly contactable.”

Related: Read TechRadar's review of the Other phone

- Justine Roberts, Mumsnet founder

That frustration became the foundation for the Other phone. Developed in collaboration with Mumsnet users and tech company SafetyMode, it was designed to give parents back control - not just over what their child can see and do online, but how much time they spend doing it.

So, rather than guessing what families wanted, the team behind the Other phone went straight to the source. Through a series of Mumsnet discussions, focus groups and surveys, parents helped shape the device from concept to launch.

Their feedback highlighted three key priorities:

• Safety that actually works: filters that don’t rely on children’s compliance

• Settings that can’t be bypassed: so kids can’t simply turn off parental controls

• Flexibility: so the phone grows with the child

The result is a smartphone that’s practical for parents and familiar enough for kids, but with an in-built safety net.

How SafetyMode works

The clever bit lies in the SafetyMode software, which acts like an invisible layer of protection across the phone. It filters harmful content - including bullying, bad language and nudity - and flags inappropriate messages, images or pop-ups to parents.

Unlike other parental-control systems, it checks all in-app content, including WhatsApp, messaging and social media platforms. Parents can also manage what apps their child downloads, set time limits and decide when - and how long - certain apps can be used.

Everything can be controlled remotely from a web dashboard. So if your child is at school or a friend’s house, you can still adjust settings or pause notifications without needing the device in your hand.

- Product test feedback from Mumsnet user, veghan

For families who prefer to keep things simple, the minimalist “list-style” home screen replaces the bright icons and dopamine-hitting layout of a typical smartphone. It’s intentionally boring - designed to make checking the phone less tempting.

Let’s be honest: no child wants a device that feels like a toy. That’s why the Other phone was built on top of Nothing’s CMF 2 Pro hardware - a sleek, high-quality smartphone that reviewers have called “the best budget phone on the market”.

That means parents don’t have to choose between safety and performance. The phone comes with a high-quality camera, excellent screen and solid battery life, but without the design tricks that make other devices addictive.

And unlike stripped-back “starter phones” that can’t run common apps, the Other phone gives parents control to add approved apps when they’re ready - everything from music and school tools to messaging. It’s a real smartphone, just one that’s been reimagined with safety as the default setting.

Keeping kids connected but not consumed

The biggest test for any new phone aimed at children is how it fits into family life. The Other phone’s team wanted to strike a balance between allowing children to stay connected and preventing the endless scroll that defines so much of online life.

Parents can decide whether to make the phone completely social-media free, or to allow limited access to certain platforms under filtered conditions. Notifications can be paused during homework or bedtime, and apps can be switched on only outside school hours.

- Product test feedback from Mumsnet user, Mrshockallz1726

That means your child can message friends, listen to music and use school apps - but the more addictive features stay locked down.

For families who want to go one step further, the “boring by design” home screen mimics an old-school list phone. It’s about teaching kids that a phone is a tool, not a habit.

The collaboration behind it

The Other phone is the result of a partnership between Mumsnet, SafetyMode and Nothing, who provided the hardware.

The three organisations worked together to combine the community insight of Mumsnet users with the technical expertise of a modern smartphone maker and the privacy-first approach of SafetyMode’s AI.

Everything the phone scans - images, messages, search results - is processed on the device itself. No data ever leaves the phone, and no images or text are uploaded to external servers. That’s a big deal for parents who are understandably wary of cloud-based monitoring.

- Justine Roberts, Mumsnet founder

The aim was to create a product that feels both modern and mindful – tech that fits real family life, not the other way round.

“Parents are hugely worried about the effect of smartphones and social media on their children”, shared Justine Roberts, Mumsnet founder. “They feel trapped between wanting their kids to stay connected and become digitally literate, and knowing that most devices on the market are designed with profit, rather than child safety, in mind.

“The Other phone has been created in collaboration with the Mumsnet community to put child safety first and give parents peace of mind. With features that block harmful content, allow parents to restrict apps and screen time remotely, and prevent children from bypassing safety settings, it gives them the tools they need to set clear, effective boundaries for their children, putting control back in parents’ hands.”

Despite all the safety tech, the Other phone still comes in at £279, making it cheaper than many mainstream smartphones. There are no mandatory subscriptions or hidden charges, and the settings can be adjusted as your child grows - so you don’t need to buy a new phone every couple of years.

Parents can start with a stripped-back set-up for a 10-year-old, then gradually open up features for a 13- or 14-year-old learning to navigate the online world more independently.

It’s a rare example of tech that grows with your family instead of against it. After all, it’s not about banning screens altogether, or pretending the internet doesn’t exist. It’s about finding the middle ground between connection and control. This is what makes the Other phone a genuinely reassuring choice for parents seeking the best phone for kids.

The Other phone is available now.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts is a writer, editor, and content marketing expert hailing from Leeds. Here at Mumsnet, she works to bring parents content that’s designed to make life easier. Beyond her role as an editor here at Mumsnet, Rebecca can be found balancing life as a working mum of two toddlers and when she’s not at her desk, you’ll likely find her at a local playgroup, in a nearby coffee shop, or walking the dog up and down country lanes.