internet-connected landline phones offer kids a smartphone alternative

CBS News Los Angeles reported that a new generation of internet-connected landline phones, called the Tin Can Phone, is becoming popular among families as an alternative to giving children smartphones.

The Tin Can Phone is a corded telephone that connects through a home's internet service instead of a traditional copper line, allowing kids to call approved contacts without a screen or smartphone features.

Nearly half of U.S. children have smartphones by age 10, according to Common Sense Media, and a study by Lurie Children's Hospital found that over one-third of parents think their child got a smartphone too early.

St. James Episcopal School chose to gift every student a Tin Can Phone to support families wanting to delay smartphone use, emphasizing the school's mission to preserve childhood wonder.

Parents like Julia Emescu appreciate the Tin Can Phone for providing a way for children to talk with friends while avoiding smartphone distractions, with the device also evoking nostalgia for adults.

The Tin Can Phone allows free calls between devices, while calls to traditional phones require a subscription, and parents control the contacts their children can call.