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Meet Freckle: The New Dumb Phone Designed To Get Kids Outdoors
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Firstpost•18-10-2026, 13:30
Meet Freckle: The New Dumb Phone Designed To Get Kids Outdoors
- •US start-up Freckle is launching a new phone designed to combat smartphone addiction and mental health risks in children aged seven to 13.
- •The device completely excludes social media, web browsers, and app stores, focusing instead on outdoor exploration and safety features.
- •Created by Sam Terris and backed by Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six, the phone features a Quest app for scavenger hunts, stories, and a camera that describes its surroundings.
- •The phone includes practical tools like kid-friendly maps, pre-loaded credit, walkie-talkie mode, and parent safety alerts for safe zones.
- •Scheduled for a December release, the Freckle phone will be priced at 199 dollars per device.
Key Questions Answered
The Freckle phone is a new device designed for children aged seven to 13 that trades addictive social media for outdoor exploration tools, story apps, and a camera. It was created by Sam Terris, the founder of Simulate, and is backed by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and his venture-capital firm Seven Seven Six.
The phone features an outdoor Quest app for scavenger hunts and missions, story creation apps, kid-friendly maps, pre-loaded credit payments, a music player, and a walkie-talkie mode. It notably lacks a web browser, app store, or social media.
The Freckle phone is priced at $199 per device and is scheduled to launch in December, with pre-booking options currently available for interested parents.
