5 Best Tech Gifts for Kids From Conscious E-parents

Kids use electronic devices on a daily basis. There are downsides to that, but upsides too, as gadget makers keep coming up with e-toys that trigger brain cells and engage children in thought-provoking forms of play.

For all the worries about smartphone addiction (and parents should worry), there’s a small universe of cool-happy gadgets out there that are fun, friendly, immersive but not addictive, and 100% doomscrolling free.

Here are our picks for the top five #kidstech products of 2024: toys, tools, and devices that inform, educate, entertain – or even do all three.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. E-parenting in the iPhone Age
3. Top 5 Tech Gifts for Kids in 2024
4. The Bottom Line
5. FAQs
6. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. E-parenting in the iPhone Age
3. Top 5 Tech Gifts for Kids in 2024
Show Full Guide
4. The Bottom Line
5. FAQs
6. References

E-parenting in the iPhone Age

Hear the word gadget, and you’ll probably picture something paired to a smartphone, usually with an app attached. Kids are no different – and if you’re a parent, it’s a safe bet you’ve agonized over when to say yes to that first iOS or Android.

The mounting body of evidence against giving smartphones to children is pretty compelling:

• We’ve known for years that tech companies employ behavioral experts who work day and night to make the smartphone experience as immersive-addictive as possible.
• Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Jonathan Ive all banned or severely restricted their children’s access to smartphones and tablets.
• Earlier this year, NYU Psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book The Anxious Generation laid bare the toxic impact that smartphones and social media have had on teenagers’ mental health.

Not good. But it doesn’t mean kids should miss out on the benefits of the digital age. For our top five list we’ve deliberately left smartphones and popular gaming consoles out in favor of tech toys for kids that might not be on your radar.

Here’s our take on the best of the best tech gifts for kids you might consider buying in 2024.

Top 5 Tech Gifts for Kids in 2024

5. Bitzee

This cool gadget for kids is a high-tech tactile Tamagotchi that holds up to 15 digital pets you can actually pet. Created by Spin Master, the business behind Hatchimals and Paw Patrol, Bitzee is a fully interactive computerized toy that blends the best of digital and physical, all in a hand-sized bright purple pod.

Open the jewelry box-style casing, and you’ll see a row of filaments attached to a dark, velvety interior. When you start it up, the filaments light up and oscillate in sequence to create a floating image you can touch. The flexible display moves so fast and seamlessly that it appears to be a computer-generated image –?though without a backlit screen.

Bitzee has enough memory to create 15 different digital pets, but just like a traditional Tamagotchi they need to be cared for: fed, played with and adored.

All of this is achieved without buttons as kids need to touch the virtual display and interact with their pets – which will respond in real time. They’re programmed to send messages when lonely, hungry, or sleepy. Kids can give them gentle touches, rocking them to sleep or choose snacks to feed them by swiping the bar in front of the display.

4. Amazmic Kids Karaoke Microphone Machine

This portable, handheld, all-in-one microphone can be used as a karaoke machine and high-quality speaker, with built-in voice effects and a recorder to capture each performance. Disco lights and bluetooth speaker capability let your budding talent show contestants belt out their favorite tunes with gusto and panache.

According to the manufacturer, this electronic gift for kids offers advanced 3-layer noise reduction tech that ensures high-quality, crystal-clear output. The microphone/karaoke combo uses KTV technology and reverb effects to mimic live sound, with background rhythms blended into the mix.

Four separate sound modes enable kids to change their voice with added effects (think chipmunks-type squeaking or the basso-profundo mega voice used in film announcements). The multi-colored LED lights keep everything festive and stage-tastic.

Perfect for sleepovers and family nights, Amazmic’s Kids Karaoke Microphone Machine promises 4-6 hours of song time when fully charged and will hold its charge in standby mode for more than 20 days. There’s also a smartphone app if parents want to add even more effects or fine-tune any adjustments to the sound.

3. VTech KidiZoom PrintCam

One that tops many of the best tech for kids’ lists is VTech’s digital ‘polaroid’ digital camera. It comes with a built-in printer and a selection of simple (e.g., not-too-immersive) games designed for the camera’s smallish color display. Along with its instant print capability, the KidiZoom PrintCam comes with different features for different ages, including video recording, templates for craft projects like greeting cards and tabletop games, and the ability to make mini comic strips using the photos they take.

Parents may need to help load the photo paper, but after that, it’s a matter of point and click. The 2.4-inch screen is small but big enough to allow kids to frame their pics and see more or less how each photo will turn out. There’s an option for panoramic prints, and a flip-up lens lets them take selfies while still seeing the on-screen display.

Kids can save their pix, add filters and photo effects, apply stamps and place borders. Photos can also be output as-is by pressing the camera’s physical printer button. Photo prints take just a few seconds and output from the front of the camera. Kids just need to tear them off once they’re done.

2. Snap Circuits Mechanical Coding Robot Mech 5

This ingenious learn-by-doing tool could be a nice tech gift for teens. It is designed to teach kids the basics of coding and even some of the core principles behind mechanical engineering. It encourages children to build up their problem-solving skills and troubleshoot any snags they hit when programming the bot for different tasks.

Mech 5 uses screenless coding that allows kids to hand-adjust the bot’s movements or even send it on mini-missions. The interface is mechanical and gives kids a code-free way to visualize how computers process and execute commands.

Kids snap plastic coding buttons (effectively physical zeros and ones) onto a wheel. The sequence or pattern tells the robot to move forward or backward, turn, spin around, or take a pause.

Kids can also code the wheel for more complex tasks like kicking, lifting, throwing, or even drawing. This way, children can upskill as they go along and program more sophisticated movements.

1. Nokia 3210

If your child needs a phone but it’s too soon for a smartphone, consider this colorful old-school reboot from HMD. The Finnish phone maker (and owner of the Nokia brand) re-launched the 1990’s-era 3210 earlier this year for a new generation of young people eager for cool but dumb phones that let them keep connected but steer clear of the constant notifications and other negatives that come with smartphone ownership.

As memories of single-thumb typing and tiny monochrome screens haven’t quite faded from collective memory, HMD is tapping into a mix of nostalgia and worries that teens and twenty-somethings spend too much time online and not enough time socializing.

The company produces a variety of low-tech handsets, but the new generation 3210 comes with bright colors and a focus on fun, making it a great option for that very first phone you give your kids.

It packs a full-color screen, 4G connectivity, a 2-megapixel back-facing camera plus a flashlight. It also has a legacy video game called Snake. Battery life is solid, offering 9.5 hours of call time and at least two days on standby when it ends up at the bottom of a backpack.

The Bottom Line

Kids probably don’t need a smartphone – no matter how much they beg and plead. Official advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics is to make sure young children get regular in-person social interaction and the opportunity to explore and test their abilities hands-on. The good news is that the non-smartphone options for tech-curious kids are growing by the day.

Just as warnings about video game addiction led to the development of child-friendlier platforms like Minecraft and Roblox, kids tech companies are churning out some incredibly innovative e-toys that stimulate the brain and entertain.

Of course, there’s a lot of junk out there, too. Experts advise looking for gadgets that are simple and encourage imaginative play. We hope our list of the best tech gifts for kids helps narrow down the search.

FAQs