This unhackable Samsung phone is genius – but it has two massive loopholes — Explained

Dumb phones. Strict time limits. Parental control software. Outright bans.

When it comes to keeping kids safe on phones, there’s no shortage of suggestions out there. With children heading back to school this September, it might be a dilemma you’re grappling with right now.

But what if the solution is simpler than you think, and means you can stick with hardware you know?

The Balance Phone Kids is explicitly marketed as “a child’s first smartphone”, but you might already recognise it. It’s built on the exact same hardware as Samsung’s budget Galaxy A17 (4G-only, not the 5G model), yet permanently blocks the apps and websites deemed unsuitable for children.

An official partnership means the device ships with the custom Balance OS pre-installed. Unlike a lot of parental control apps, it’s baked directly into the phone’s security framework, making it impossible to bypass, even if your child attempts a factory reset.

But does the Balance Phone deliver on its lofty goals of protecting kids from “content that wasn’t made for them”? Here’s how it fared in the hands of this 28-year-old digital native who’s been on the internet for more than two decades.

Non-negotiable peace of mind

As soon as I set up the Balance Phone Kids, I was immediately struck by how calm it felt.

Provided you choose the Balance OS home screen (Samsung’s traditional One UI experience is also available), you’re presented with a very basic white-text-on-black background aesthetic, plus a separate, searchable app drawer. There are no widgets, no colourful icons, and none of those god-awful notification badges that basically scream “tap me”. Bliss.

But there’s no end of Android launchers that look and feel basically identical. It’s the blocking functionality that really sets Balance Phone apart.

In that regard, it’s highly effective. All of the apps the phone targets – think social media, gaming, betting, video streaming platforms, online dating and adult content – are blocked without question. The process happens instantly, giving you no chance for a quick peek before the software catches up.

I admire what the Balance Phone Kids has achieved

And, unlike some app blockers, the web browser isn’t a loophole. A sneaky ‘instagram.com’ in Chrome was presented with the exact same blocking screen you’d get if trying to open the app.

One minor frustration is that you can still download any app from the Google Play Store. It’s only when you try to open it that Balance OS recognises that it’s off-limits, which feels like a waste of time.

However, what I really like about this approach for parenting is that there are no grey areas. Social media and other harmful apps and sites aren’t even an option in the first place, so there’s no need for negotiations or punishments for non-compliance.

At the same time, I don’t think that teenagers (even those under 16) should be locked away from every potential harm online. It leaves them wholly unprepared for modern adult life, where the internet continues to play a pivotal role.

Instead, controlled use via a supervised parent’s phone or computer encourages dialogue and prevents secrecy around the internet, which can lead to significant harm.

Two flaws leave kids exposed

I admire what the Balance Phone Kids has achieved. No child needs access to social media, porn or online dating, no matter how much they argue otherwise, so locking them down makes perfect sense.

In these categories, I love how ruthless its strategy is. Even seemingly innocuous games or communication platforms will be blocked if they’re deemed to encourage compulsive usage.

There’s no such thing as a “safe” AI chatbot

However, after using the Balance Phone Kids, I can’t help feeling that the criteria for a harmful app or website are dangerously incomplete.

Children are blocked from social media, then given unrestricted access to AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, under the assumption that they’re useful for tasks. That’s just like claiming that TikTok and Instagram are tools for building community or have vital educational functions.

We know that AI chatbots exploit similar dark patterns to keep us hooked, feeding us with a steady stream of instant yet unpredictable responses that make them irresistible. We also can’t trust them not to generate misinformation or make suggestions that are actively harmful. There’s no such thing as a “safe” AI chatbot, but the Balance Phone doesn’t seem to recognise this.

The same can be said for news sites. I’m all for children being informed, but instant access to every doom-laden report is a recipe for disaster.

With no access to social media, the brain will inevitably go on the hunt for a new source of dopamine, and news sites are an easy solution. Also, there’s no guarantee that the information they see is any more trustworthy than social media – misinformation is rampant across the internet.

Again, I don’t think AI and news sites should be completely off-limits. But they need to be a shared experience between child and parent to help kids recognise when they’re viewing harmful content and understand when they might be exploited.

With ‘TikTokification’ integrating short-form content across large swathes of the internet, there’s a legitimate question as to where the blocking can realistically end. But I firmly believe that the dangers of AI and online news are too significant to ignore.

You still need parental control software

So, is the Balance Phone Kids the smartphone you should be giving your child?

…expecting the Balance Phone Kids to do all the work is a futile strategy

Probably, yes. It strips away many of the most significant harms to children, while retaining access to the key tools that we all rely on to stay in touch and move through the modern world.

However, in my view, expecting the Balance Phone Kids to do all the work is a futile strategy. Its blocking remit simply isn’t wide enough to remove all the harms that could affect children.

As a result, it can never be considered a complete solution. However, alongside trusted parental control software and a strong parent-child relationship, the Balance Phone Kids feels like a great middle ground between largely ineffective dumbphones and unrestricted access to all the horrors of the internet.

Even so, I can’t understand why AI chatbots and news sites are considered tools, while video streaming services and games are all written off as harmful. I don’t believe you can have one without the other.

The Balance Phone Kids costs £279 in the UK, or you can get Balance OS loaded onto your existing Samsung Galaxy phone for £79 per year. The phone itself isn’t compatible with US networks, but you can get Balance OS for $79 per year.

You can buy the Balance Phone Kids, the regular Balance Phone (based on the Galaxy A37) or the Balance Phone Pro (based on the Galaxy S25) from the official Balance Phone website.