Several times now my Grandchildren would have been in immediate extreme danger of harm if they had not had a cell phone. We live in a world where they are no longer safe walking home from school without one... Once a strange man walked into my granddaughter’s classroom and started going through the kids backpacks taking stuff. She called the main desk and told them. Within minutes him and the teacher both were removed. Turned out to be the druggy boyfriend of the temporary teacher and she let him do it. We ain’t in Kansas anymore.
With that said, All devices come with parental controls. Parents just need to actually use them.
“... my Grandchildren would have been in immediate extreme danger of harm if they had not had a cell phone. “
The simple “flip phones” allow only phone calling and texting.
With their smartphones the kids can take a walk with their fingers through the iHood.
Good point.
Note that a simple phone with call and SMS facilities would suffice for the situation you describe.
As a parent of teens, I can vouch that smartphone apps are distractive and overall bad for kids.
As to the parental controls - they are easily hackable.