This Phone That Can Only Call and Text Is What Parents Have Been Begging to Give Their Kids

One of the most stress-inducing questions modern-day parents find themselves asking is: "when do I have to get my kid a cell phone?"

Sure, no one needs a phone, but the world we live in all but dictates a requirement toward digital connectivity. In fact, the average age people get their first cell phone is 10 years old. Parents want to be able to communicate with their children — to be just a phone call away when their middle schooler needs a ride home from band practice or their newly licensed driver didn't get home on time.

But, any millennial mom knows the benefits of being able to reach our kids are almost always outweighed by the negatives of putting a miniature WiFi-enabled computer — along with all the social media platforms that have proven links with bullying and self-esteem issues — into the hands of an impressionable tween or teen.

That's why the creation of the Light Phone 2 is such a game-changer. It's a "stupid" phone in a world of smartphones, and that's precisely what every parent has been wanting.

In an effort to help overly-connected people disconnect without going completely off the grid, the original Light Phone, created three years ago, only allowed the user to make calls. This new, still-in-development version, which debuts in April 2019 but can be preordered for as low as $250, lets users do just two simple things: they can call and they can text.

That's it.

There's no app store, meaning no opportunity to download Facebook or Snapchat. There's no chance your kid will be staring, zombie-like, at the screen of this phone while playing some video game or watching some YouTube clip.

Although this new model wasn't created explicitly for kids, it's the perfect option for the younger demographic, and parents will certainly be early adopters of the sleek, pared-down phone.