If you remember running home after school to grab the family landline to call your best friend before dinner, a new device from Pin wheel aims to reboot this experience for a new generation.
The kid-focused tech company announced Tuesday the release of Pinwheel Home, a modern take on the classic home phone designed to let kids stay connected without the distraction of a smartphone.
Pinwheel positions the phone as an introduction to phones for 5- to 10-year-olds before they’re smartphone-ready. The company already sells kid-friendly smartphones and launched a smartwatch last year.
Instead of texting or scrolling through social media, Pinwheel Home is built exclusively for voice calls. The company says the phone encourages more meaningful one-on-one conversations while giving kids the independence to call friends and family and practice basic phone skills without borrowing their parent’s device.
The launch comes as more parents look for ways to reduce their children’s screen time amid growing concerns about technology’s impact on their development. Studies have linked excessive screen time to emotional, behavioral and social challenges. Plus, recent research from the University of Georgia found that children who spend more time on social media tend to show poorer vocabulary development over time, including more difficulty recognizing and pronouncing words.
Specifically, while the Pinwheel Home looks like a traditional landline phone, it works over Wi-Fi, eliminating the need for a phone jack. It comes in two models. The Spark starts at $68 and comes in white, black, blue and purple. The Classic costs $79 and includes a retro-style earpiece and customizable stickers, with color options of pink, black, and white.
For safety, parents control the device through Pinwheel’s Caregiver Portal, where they can approve contacts, block unknown callers, spam and robocalls, and set call schedules and time limits. Speed dial and voice mail are also available.
The company notes that future updates will introduce three-way calling and allow Pinwheel Home to integrate with its watches and smartphones, allowing kids to use the same phone number on all devices while limiting screen time at home.
Countries such as Australia have restricted access to social media for children and the UK has announced plans for similar measures.
The device also joins other competing screen-free communication products for children Tin pota $100 Wi-Fi-enabled landline that lets parents manage approved contacts through a companion app;
Calls between Pinwheel Home devices are free through the company’s Pinwheel Circle service. Families looking to call standard phone numbers can choose plans starting at $6.99 per month for up to five approved contacts or $9.99 per month for unlimited calls. (For comparison, calls between Tin Can devices are also free, while the Friends and Family plan is $9.99 per month.)
Pinwheel Home is now available through the company’s website and is expected to be released on Amazon this fall.
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