Swappa

We wanted the kids to have a home phone they could use with select friends and family without paying another monthly subscription. Here’s my solution and how I did it. Total cost was a one-time $197.85. It's an iPhone SE (3rd gen, 2022) I bought used on Swappa. I set it up as a new phone with no SIM card, so it only works on Wi-Fi. Then I went through Screen Time and the child account setup and locked down every app except FaceTime. It only makes FaceTime audio and video calls to the contacts we added (family and friends). Everything else on it is locked down. It lives on a charging stand in the living room, just like the old landline did. If the kids want to call someone, they walk over to it. When they're done, it stays there. I call them on it every day as I drive home from work. Cost for parts: iPhone SE 3rd gen, unlocked, 64 GB, Midnight (used, Swappa): $119.72 Galvanox charging stand (Walmart): $29.99 SUPFINE magnetic case (Amazon): $48.14 Total: $197.85 If you've been weighing a first phone for your kids, this was a good middle step for us, albeit only for contacts on iOS. They get to call the people they love, and the phone never leaves the living room. Let me know if you’ve done something similar and have a different solution!