Giving a child their first connected device is a genuine parenting dilemma — you want them reachable and safe, but not necessarily handed a full smartphone with open internet access and social media at age eight. myFirst built its entire product range around that specific middle ground, offering kids' smartwatches, cameras, drawing tablets, and audio gear designed with built-in parental controls rather than adult-grade openness. After going through their full lineup, safety-focused features, and a few privacy considerations worth understanding, here's a complete breakdown to help you decide if it's the right kids' tech brand for your family.
myFirst positions its devices around a specific promise: calls and safety without apps or pressure — a genuinely different value proposition than simply handing a child a smaller smartphone.
Fone M1 [New] (£71.92, down from £89.90). The brand's newest entry-level smartwatch, positioned specifically as "not a smartphone" — offering calls and safety features without full app access or social pressure.
Fone R2 (£111.99, down from £139.99). A 4G-connected model adding GPS tracking and video calling on top of the core calling functionality.
Fone S4 (£143.99, down from £179.99) and Fone S3+ (£135.20, down from £169.00). The brand's more premium smartwatch tier, also featuring 4G, GPS tracking, and video calling with additional refinements over the R-series.
Camera Insta Lux [New] (£149.99). A 5MP instant-print camera with built-in WiFi, letting kids print physical photos on the spot — genuinely appealing for the tactile, immediate satisfaction of instant photography rather than only digital-only image storage.
Insta 2, Insta 20, Camera 50, Camera 10, Camera 3, and Camera 2. A genuinely wide range of camera models spanning different price points and feature sets, giving parents options matched to a child's age and photography interest level.
Sketch 3, Sketch Pro Neo, and Sketch II. Digital drawing tablets aimed at channeling creative play into a screen-based format without full tablet/internet access.
CareBuds Max [New] (£34.90), Voice 2, and AirWaves. Kids' audio products specifically marketed as hearing-safe, with noise cancellation and volume limiting built in — a genuinely important safety feature given how easy it is for a child to turn up volume beyond safe listening levels on standard adult headphones.
3dPen Artist and 3dPen Make. 3D printing pens marketed as safe and simple for kids, extending the creative tech range beyond flat drawing into a more tactile making experience.
Frame Clario, Frame Doodle, and Frame Live. Digital photo frames designed for sharing family moments within the myFirst ecosystem.
This is genuinely central to the brand's whole safety positioning — rather than open internet or app store access, connected devices operate within the myFirst Circle, a closed family ecosystem with no public feeds and no algorithm-driven content. Through the companion parental control app, parents can view location history, set personalized app usage schedules, and temporarily disable internet access to establish boundaries — meaningfully different from giving a child a device with unrestricted access from day one.
Several smartwatch models include real-time GPS tracking, location notifications, and check-in features, explicitly marketed around parental peace of mind for knowing where a child is. This is a genuinely significant feature category worth understanding clearly, both for its real safety value and for what it means to introduce location tracking into a child's daily life.
myFirst has been referenced across TechRadar, Forbes, The Independent, Wired, Gizmodo, and other tech and general-interest publications, alongside a stated global presence with dedicated storefronts across more than 10 countries and regions. The brand also states a 1-year manufacturer's warranty, a 30-day return window, and DHL-based shipping from its Singapore headquarters.
A genuinely differentiated "not a smartphone" positioning. Building safety and connectivity features into a device explicitly designed to avoid full app store and open internet access addresses a real, common parental concern that a straight smaller-smartphone approach doesn't solve.
A meaningfully closed, non-algorithmic family ecosystem. The myFirst Circle's explicit "no public feeds, no algorithm-driven content" design is a genuinely different approach from the attention-optimized design common in mainstream social and content apps, even those aimed at younger users.
Real, specific parental control granularity. Being able to set personalized app schedules and temporarily disable internet access, rather than an all-or-nothing toggle, reflects genuine attention to age-appropriate, adjustable boundaries as a child grows.
Genuinely important hearing-safety features in the audio line. Built-in volume limiting on kids' headphones and earbuds is a meaningfully protective, non-optional feature for young, developing hearing.
Broad, credible mainstream and tech press coverage. Recognition across established outlets like Forbes, Wired, and The Independent reflects genuine editorial interest beyond the brand's own marketing.
A wide product range serving different ages and interests. Spanning smartwatches, cameras, drawing tablets, and 3D pens means the brand can grow with a child across several years rather than a single-purpose device.
GPS tracking and location-sharing devices are a genuine, significant responsibility, not just a convenience feature. It's worth having an age-appropriate conversation with your child about what the device tracks and why, and reviewing the specific privacy settings and data practices in the app before relying on it — the brand states it takes data security commitments seriously, and it's worth reading that privacy policy directly rather than assuming default settings are automatically the most private option.
Camera and connected devices involve real data handling considerations. Since several products include WiFi connectivity and photo-sharing features, it's worth understanding what data is collected, where images are stored, and who can access them through the myFirst Circle app before setting up an account for a young child.
Match the specific device and feature set to your child's actual age and maturity. Given the range spans from a simplified first watch (Fone M1) to more feature-rich models with video calling (Fone S4), it's worth choosing based on what level of connectivity is genuinely appropriate for your specific child rather than defaulting to the most feature-packed option.
International shipping from Singapore involves a real delivery window. With UK delivery estimated at 3-8 working days and potential added time during peak sales periods, it's worth ordering ahead of a specific date like a birthday or back-to-school timeline.
Regularly review and adjust parental control settings as your child grows. Since the app allows for personalized schedules and access levels, it's worth revisiting these settings periodically rather than setting them once and leaving them unchanged as your child's needs and maturity level change over time.
If you want to give your child connectivity and safety features — calls, location check-ins, photography, creative tools — without handing over a full smartphone's open access, myFirst offers a genuinely thoughtful, closed-ecosystem alternative worth considering. The combination of a real "not a smartphone" design philosophy, a closed, non-algorithmic family ecosystem, granular parental controls, built-in hearing safety in the audio line, and broad credible press coverage makes it a solid option for introducing a child to connected tech gradually — just be sure to read the specific privacy policy, understand what location and photo data is collected, and match the specific device to your child's actual age and readiness for that level of connectivity.