When we were younger, we loved talking on the phone. We could spend hours on a landline, chatting with friends while painting our nails, watching MTV, or even vacuuming if we had a super-long cord. The simplicity of a landline phone helped us learn important social skills that many kids today lack. One Seattle company wants to change that. Tin Can offers analog home phones for kids that use Wi-Fi calling with no frills. We’re calling it now — this will be a huge seller this holiday season.
The founders of Tin Can started their business after struggling to find a suitable phone for their kids.
“Everything out there felt like a compromise — too much tech, too much access, or just another screen to manage,” Tin Can explains. “We didn’t want that. We just wanted our kids to be able to call their friends safely. Independently. And without unlocking the entire internet.”
The Tin Can phone is very simple. Parents set up an approved call list for their children, and that’s it. A Tin Can phone doesn’t have texting, a screen, apps, or anything fancy. Tin Can users can call other Tin Can users for free, but if you want to open up the calling to other cellphones and landlines, it’s $9.99 a month. That’s much cheaper than a cellphone without the worry of too much internet exposure.
It’s a true throwback piece of technology that plenty of parents love.
Redditors in the platform’s parenting forum can’t wait to get their hands on the Tin Can.
“I’m really excited about these. Thanks for trying to figure something out- this has been driving me crazy as I can’t navigate a landline where we are,” a parent shared. “How are the tin cans going for everyone up above? We ordered one to try and I’m excited for my children who want to talk to their friends but won’t have phones for a very, very, very long time.”
Others who have Tin Can phones give it rave reviews.
“Just got ours. It’s amazing. My son (7) is having such rich, focused convos with family now. Beautiful, wonderful, smart product and worth every buck,” another parent wrote.
“Tin Can gives kids a safe, screen-free way to stay in touch while encouraging real conversation and independence — no smartphone required,” the company’s website shares.
We don’t know about you, but we love this idea and will definitely be ordering one for Christmas. If you’re interested, you probably want to move quickly. These will sell out fast.
