# Tin Can kids phone

22 Hacker News commenters recommended Tin Can kids phone and 16 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Parents recommend it for giving young children autonomy, with calls limited to approved numbers and no screen. Critics mainly raise privacy concerns and a subscription for outside calls.

## Why people recommend it

- Lock calls to approved numbers (4 comments): "the biggest positive for us is the phone can't make calls or receive calls from numbers that we don't approve first" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47490092)) "the ability to lock down the phone to just a few numbers is the appeal" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47488125)) "Control over what numbers are dialed and who can dial in" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47490284))
- Gives young kids autonomy (3 comments): "I'm a happy Tin Can customer. For young children (5 and 7 in my case) it's especially delightful to give them a measure of autonomy" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47485875)) "they’ve used it every day. It feels like it gives them a bit of autonomy they’re seeking right now" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47486121)) "For the 4yo-6yo demographic with no access to an iPhone or screen device, the analog phone is a blast." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47917545))
- Screen-free, tactile fun for kids (3 comments): "For the 4yo-6yo demographic with no access to an iPhone or screen device, the analog phone is a blast." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47917545)) "The tactility is incredible, and it's so just so cute to watch them chat away" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47490855)) "old-school phone reinvented!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47917332))

## What people warn about

- Privacy concerns over recorded calls (5 comments): "In addition to collecting all the metadata they also collect the voices of children recorded in voicemails." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47486702)) "Tin Can uses the calls and voicemails to collect data on children and sell that to others." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47486635)) "Another comment claims they record calls. Big yikes." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47487326))
- Terms of service seem unenforceable (3 comments): "If a company puts unenforceable terms in their TOS, how likely are they to comply with the law in every other matter?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47489430)) "there's a noncompete clause: You agree not to "build, benchmark, or develop a competing product or service."" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47485282)) "This is laughably unenforceable, and all the more ridiculous for it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47485333))
- Costly for limited fun (3 comments): "It was fun for about two weeks, then they had friends with FaceTime" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47916688)) "this e-waste cost as much as a cheap or second hand smartphone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47487431)) "$100 is a lot for 5 minutes of fun." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47485008))
- Extra fees for outside calls (2 comments): "in addition to $75 for each phone, if you want to talk with anyone outside of their walled garden" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47485332)) "it apparently needs a subscription to call regular numbers" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48404953))

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Tin+Can+kids+landline+phone&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Tin Can kids phone", https://hackerapproved.com/p/tin-can-kids-phone/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).