Mobile contracts for teenagers & children: the best UK networks
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Buying a SIM only or phone contract for kids? We take you through your best options, covering prices, spending caps and parental controls. Last updated: 30th August 2023.
How our rankings work
What makes a mobile provider good for kids?
If you want to get your kids onto a new mobile plan, then you’ll want to bear some things in mind before you buy. In this guide, we rank each network based on what parents should look for.
We think flexible spending caps are a priority. It’s good to know you can stop your kids from overspending and that you can set your spending cap how you’d like it. The smaller the increments the better.
While most networks block access to 18+ content on mobile data by default, some provide handy extra parental controls such as stricter blocks on inappropriate content or time limiting options.
And networks with good coverage for call signal will get a better ranking, as it’s important to know you can contact your children in an emergency, no matter where they are.
Useful link: Skip to the best networks
The best networks for kids
1st: VOXI - unlimited social media and streaming data
What we like:
What we don't like:
VOXI are the best option for parents buying a plan for their kids in our eyes. They use Vodafone’s network, so call signal is widespread. And all their plans are sold as flexible, low cost 1-month deals.
But their best benefit is their Unlimited Social Media and Video schemes. These give your kids unlimited data for these social media apps and these streaming apps. Just the kind of stuff they use their phones for.
Video streaming is usually one of the fastest ways for your kids to use up their data, so VOXI’s scheme is fantastic for avoiding having to buy more data. And Unlimited Social Media will save a handy bit of data as well.
There’s no way for your kids to rack up a huge bill either, as you pay for everything up front (so no end-of-the-month surprises on VOXI). But if they do use all their data, VOXI’s add-ons aren’t too expensive (£3 for 1GB).
But you might not want your kids on their phones all day. And unfortunately there is no way to set time limits, or any extra content controls on VOXI. If that’s not an issue, VOXI are a brilliant choice.
Useful link: How to set up an account for your kids on VOXI
2nd: SMARTY - one of the best networks for sheer value
What we like:
What we don't like:
If you’re looking for a great value deal for your kids, SMARTY are a brilliant choice. They offer a good range of SIM only plans at low costs, even on their larger plans. And each plan is on a flexible 1-month deal.
So you can switch plans each month if your child keeps using all their data or you’re overpaying. And if your kids do use all their data, SMARTY have very cheap data add-ons (1GB for £1) that never expire.
And there’s no way for your kids to rack up a huge bill as you’re paying for everything up front. And you get a 10% discount if you manage your child’s plan on your own SMARTY account.
But there are some drawbacks. SMARTY don’t offer free streaming or social media data like VOXI or data rollover. And they use Three’s network who have the least widespread call signal, which can be bad in emergencies.
And there’s no way to restrict how long your kids can use data, or extra content blocks if you’re buying for younger children. SMARTY are great value, but might not be the best choice for you.
Useful link: See our full guide to SMARTY’s network
3rd: ASDA Mobile - low costs and extra parental options
What we like:
What we don't like:
ASDA Mobile offer similar kinds of deals to VOXI in that they use Vodafone’s network and offer all their plans on 1-month plans. They’re a budget, no-frills option with a wide range of SIM only deals:
Everything is paid up front, so there’s no way your kids can accidentally rack up a massive bill. And if they run out of data, you can add extra data for a pretty cheap £2 for 1GB.
ASDA also offer stricter parental control options than the networks above, making them an excellent choice if you worry about what your kids do online. But they don’t have any time limiting options.
You don’t get data rollover or free streaming data on ASDA, and you can’t manage multiple deals on one account which can be annoying. But if you don’t mind that then ASDA are great for getting your kids onto.
Useful link: ASDA Mobile’s unlimited data plans
4th: Lebara - cheap and flexible plans on Vodafone
What we like:
What we don't like:
Lebara largely market themselves on the inclusive international minutes in their plans, but they’re also a great choice if you’re looking to buy a plan for your kids as they offer cheap and flexible plans.
You’ll pay for their 1-month deals up front, so your kids can’t rack up a huge bill on these and you can switch plans each month. And if your kids use all their data, Lebara’s data add-ons are cheap (1GB for £3).
One big advantage Lebara have is that they use the Vodafone network, which is the joint-largest network for call signal, while also having widespread 4G coverage. So your kids will almost never be out of reach.
Lebara offer both 1-month SIM only deals and longer 12-month contracts. Parents will probably prefer their 1-month plans for the added flexibility and Lebara offer great value on these too:
You can manage up to 4 extra plans on one account, but you don’t get any benefits for doing so other than the added convenience. But Lebara’s plans are good value anyway so discounts are really necessary.
But Lebara lack data saving and data rollover schemes and extra parental controls other than blocking 18+ content. That might be a dealbreaker for you, but if not Lebara are a good choice for your kids.
Useful link: Our full review of Lebara
5th: Virgin Mobile - flexible deals and data saving benefits
What we like:
What we don't like:
Virgin Mobile use O2’s network to provide signal, which is great as they cover a huge amount of the UK for calls, so your kids should rarely be beyond reach. And all their plans are on good value 1-month contracts.
You get data rollover included on all their deals, which can come in handy for stopping your kids racking up a huge bill on data. And they offer unlimited social media data on these apps to help with this too.
But these benefits are basically necessary as extra data is expensive on Virgin (£10 for 1GB!). And you can only set limits on overspending in £10 increments, so it’s usually best to set a £0 spending cap.
And Virgin don’t offer any extra online protection or time limiting options for parents. Those are some big drawbacks on what is otherwise a good network for parents.
Useful link: See our full guide to Virgin Mobile here
6th: 1pMobile - low cost and flexible plans on EE
What we like:
What we don't like:
1pMobile market themselves on their super cheap Pay As You Go tariffs, but they also offer some great value and flexible 1-month deals. They use EE’s network, so your kids should rarely be out of range for calls.
There’s a wide range of SIM only plans and you can change your deal each month if it doesn’t suit your kids’ needs. And since you pay up front there’s no way for your kids to rack up a massive bill.
You don’t get any data saving benefits included and you don’t get data rollover either. But if your kids go over their allowance then extra data is decently cheap on 1p (£3 for 1GB) and add-ons last for 30 days.
1p have no extra parental controls or stricter options. So 1pMobile won’t be the best choice for everyone. But if you just want to get your kid onto a cheap and flexible plan then they’re a great option.
Useful link: Our full guide to 1pMobile
7th: Lyca Mobile - cheap and flexible deals on EE’s network
What we like:
What we don't like:
Lyca Mobile are a smaller provider on EE’s network that are similar to 1pMobile in that they offer great value 1-month deals with no contracts. So you can chop and change your kids’ plan each month as you need.
You pay for their 1-month plans up front, so you don’t have to worry about your kids racking up a huge bill on extra data. But if they do use up all their data, Lyca’s data add-ons aren’t great value (£7 for 3GB).
Lyca do let you manage all your plans in one account, but there’s no added benefits to doing so. And they don’t offer data rollover or any data saving benefits, so you’ll have to keep an eye on your kids’ data usage.
There are also no extra parental controls on Lyca Mobile. So we’d say they’re a good value option for parents, but if you want something a bit more special there are better networks out there.
Useful link: Our full Lyca Mobile network review
8th: spusu - great value and flexible deals on EE’s network
What we like:
What we don't like:
spusu are a budget provider who get full access to EE’s widespread network and offer low cost, flexible 1-month deals with no contracts. So you can switch your kids’ plan up or down each month as needed.
You can set a cap on extra spending outside of your kids’ plan. If your kids run out of data you can change this limit in £1 increments and their usage will be charged at these rates.
As the account holder you’re the only one who can change the cap, so no need to worry about them racking up a huge bill. But the lack of data saving benefits means they’ll run out faster than on the networks above.
And there are no extra controls on what your kids are able to access over data and no time limiting features or anything like that. spusu are a good value choice, you just might want some extra protection.
Useful link: See spusu’s guide to their spending caps
9th: Sky Mobile - some great data saving features
What we like:
What we don't like:
Sky Mobile use O2’s network to provide signal, meaning you get access to the joint-biggest network for call signal by joining them. That means your kids should almost always be in touch in an emergency.
Their larger plans aren’t great value compared to some networks, but their smaller data plans are pretty competitive on price. All of their SIM only deals come on either 12-month or 24-month contracts.
Their Sky Watch benefit lets your kids stream Sky’s TV apps without eating into their data. If your kids often watch shows on these apps then it’s great, but you need to be a Sky TV customer for it to work.
Secondly their “piggybank” is a data rollover scheme that stores your unused data for up to 3 years. And you can set up a shared piggybank if you’re also on Sky Mobile and gift data if your kids are running low.
Sky let you cap overspending in £1 increments from £0 to £100, so your kids can’t accidentally rack up a huge bill. But there’s no extra parental controls to protect them, so it depends on what’s important to you.
Useful link: See our full guide to the Sky Mobile network
10th: Tesco Mobile - lower your bill with Clubcard points
What we like:
What we don't like:
Tesco Mobile piggyback off the O2 network for call signal, meaning your kids should never be out of reach in the UK (check coverage here). They offer decently priced 12-month and 24-month contracts on SIM only:
If you’ve got a Clubcard then you can get unique deals that are better value than their regular ones. And paying your monthly bill gets you Clubcard points you can use to get money off your bill or Tesco shopping.
Tesco have 1-month “No-contract” SIMs that are more flexible than their contracts, but at a typical higher cost. And their spending caps aren’t as flexible as some networks, as the minimum cap is £2.50 (above £0).
Prices on Tesco are mid-range vs the networks above. And if your kids use all their data you’ll have to take some data add-ons that are also expensive (£6 for 1GB) on pay monthly.
But in any case, they do offer stricter parental controls for younger users, which you might like. So they’re a pretty good network to set up a Family plan, but not the best.
Useful link: How to use your Clubcard to get money off your bill
11th: iD Mobile - low costs and great flexibility on Three
What we like:
What we don't like:
iD Mobile offer some market-leading prices on 1-month, 12-month and 24-month contracts. They typically have great deals on large and small SIM only plans:
If you put your kid on a 1-month contract and find it doesn’t suit their needs you can switch it up or down next month to get the right one. iD also let you set your spending cap £1 at a time (between £0 and £25).
And iD offer data rollover on all of their plans, letting your kids keep any data they didn’t get through for their next month. It’s a nice cushion to have just in case they then go over their limit the next month.
But if they get through all their regular and rolled over data you’ll have to take a data add-on, and these are expensive on iD (£5 for 1GB for 30 days). And you have to pay more for extra data that lasts longer.
You can’t manage multiple iD plans in one account, call signal is smaller on the Three network that iD use (check here) and they lack extra safety controls. iD have some serious holes that parents won’t like.
Useful link: Our full guide to iD Mobile
12th: Talkmobile - low costs but not much else to like
What we like:
What we don't like:
Talkmobile are a low cost network and are usually one of the best for sheer value. However, they lack any real benefits that make them a suitable choice for putting your kids onto a new plan.
There are no extra online safety features, or any data saving or data rollover benefits, so your kids are likely to use up their data. Extra data isn’t that expensive (2GB for £4) but these add-ons only last 7 days.
If you don’t mind that, then Talkmobile do offer some market-leading prices on their 1-month and 12-month SIM only contracts. Their 12-month contracts are better value, but are much less flexible:
They do also let you set your spending cap in £1 increments. And they use Vodafone, so your kids should be out of calling range entirely. Overall, Talkmobile aren’t an awful choice, but aren’t a great one either.
Useful link: Our review of the Talkmobile network
13th: Vodafone - added online protection as an extra
✔ More control but at a monthly costGet this benefit
at securenet.vodafone.co.uk
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What we like:
What we don't like:
The four main UK networks aren’t great for kids due to the high prices and low flexibility they offer. Of the four, Vodafone are our best choice, due to their excellent call signal and the other benefits they offer:
Vodafone offer added protection for your kids over the internet with Secure Net. With this service you can control what your kids can access over data and set time controls, but it costs £1.10 per device per month.
If you don’t mind the added cost, it can take a lot off your mind. And if you have Vodafone home broadband then you can manage that and your mobile deals together, so you can keep your kids safe on data and WiFi.
And if you have an existing Vodafone account, you can get 15% off any deals added to your account. But that discount might be necessary, as Vodafone’s 12-month and 24-month contracts both tend to be expensive:
Vodafone do offer 1-month plans, but they’re almost unusably expensive. That paired with the lack of flexible spending caps and expensive data add-ons (£8 for 1GB!) make Vodafone a less appealing choice for parents.
Useful link: Our guide to the networks that use Vodafone
14th: EE - some nice benefits but very high prices
What we like:
What we don't like:
EE are the next main network on this list largely due to their brilliant overall mix of coverage, meaning you should almost always be able to keep in touch with your kids. But they offer some other nice benefits.
If your kid eats through all their data, EE actually let them continue using data at no extra cost, only at much slower speeds. It’s called Stay Connected data and comes on all but their lowest cost, No-Frills plans.
But if your kid runs out of data on a No-Frills plan you’ll have to take a very expensive add-on (£6.50 for 1GB). And EE’s spending caps are inflexible (from £0 to £5). So they’re not the ideal network for parents.
You can set stricter controls over what your kids can access and manage your EE mobile and broadband deals together if you have both. And they offer a brilliant family plan scheme with data gifting (see more here).
But EE’s high prices and lack of flexibility on their 12 and 24-month contracts make them unappealing for parents. EE have 1-month contracts, but they’re sold at eye watering prices that parents won’t like either.
Useful link: See which networks use EE’s network here
15th: Honest Mobile - good flexibility but at high costs
What we like:
What we don't like:
If you don’t know about Honest Mobile, they’re a provider that use Three’s network and market themselves around being environmentally friendly. But that promise comes at a cost, making Honest pretty pricey overall:
On top of their high costs, Honest don’t have any benefits for saving or holding onto data. And they don’t have any proper data bolt-ons (you have to pay per MB of data at these rates), which is not great for kids.
They do at least offer great flexibility on 1-month contracts and you can switch plans up or down each month on their 12-month contracts too. But you can only cap overspending in £5 increments (up to £100).
And you can manage multiple deals on one account, though there’s no stricter parental controls (only 18+ content is blocked by default). But Honest do let you toggle mobile data on and off from your account.
Finally, Honest use Three’s network which means call signal can be more unreliable in emergencies than on other networks. So, Honest are just not a great choice for getting your kids a new plan.
Useful link: Read our full review of Honest Mobile here
16th: O2 - expensive, inflexible and without many benefits
What we like:
What we don't like:
Almost all the things we’ve criticised other networks for above are present with O2. Firstly, they’re a very pricey network, with even their 24-month contracts being on the more expensive end.
O2 do lots of things parents don't like. Their spending caps are inflexible (from £0 to £5 min), they offer no extra security for kids online or time limiting and their data add-ons are expensive (£10.50 for 1GB!).
On top of that, add a total lack of any extra features to prevent your kids from going over their allowance such as data rollover or free streaming data, and there’s very little to love here for parents.
The only silver lining for O2 is their very widespread coverage for calls. Your kids should almost always be within reach on O2, but some networks above are better for kids while getting access to O2’s call signal.
And at least you can manage multiple deals on one account, and get 20% off any deals you add on top of your own. But O2 provide very little to make them a good network to put your children on. Overall, pretty poor.
Useful link: See all the networks that use O2 here
17th: Co-op Mobile - high costs and very few benefits
What we like:
What we don't like:
We said in our review of Co-op Mobile that they’re a pricey network without many real benefits or added features to justify the high cost. Overall, there’s not a lot for parents to love here.
Co-op’s minimum spending cap is £5 (unless you put a £0 cap) and only goes up to £10 max! If you want to let your kids use more extras you have to get rid of the cap entirely, which is far from ideal.
You get no added control over what your kids access while on data or time limiting options. And if they go over their allowance Co-op offer no data add-ons, you’ll have to top up with credit and pay at these rates.
There are no benefits to help you save or hold onto your data either. The biggest benefit Co-op offer is EU roaming. And Co-op don’t limit your kids’ usage while abroad, so they should never be totally out of touch.
Other than that, the only major upsides are that Co-op offer flexible 1-month contracts so you can change plans each month and the fact they use EE’s great network so your kids are less likely to be out of reach.
Useful link: See Co-op Mobile’s help section
18th: Three - decent on price but small coverage for calls
What we like:
What we don't like:
Three are the best value main UK network, so you might be surprised to see them so far down the list. They do offer some genuinely great SIM only deals on 12-month and 24-month contracts:
They do offer 1-month contracts too, but they’re not as well priced. Still, they’re by far the cheapest main UK network. So, what’s not so good about them then?
Three offer no extra benefits to stop your kids from using up all their data and their data bolt-ons are expensive if they need more (1GB for £5). And their spending caps are very inflexible (£0 to £10 minimum).
And Three have no time limiting or security options for your kids’ data usage. And call signal is less widespread than on the other main networks, especially in the sticks, which can be bad in emergencies.
There’s also no way of managing multiple deals under one account. The only thing Three really have going for them is their decent prices. The final nail in their coffin is the lack of inclusive EU roaming.
That means if you go on holiday abroad with your kids then you won't be able to keep in touch unless you pay extra. All of that is why Three sit in last place in our rankings.
Useful link: See the networks that use Three’s network here
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