Best tablets for kids, tried & tested 2024: Plus expert advice about screen-time

Designed with children in mind, thanks to the included bump-proof case, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Tablet is very easy for young children to use. It offers a range of free apps and comes with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, so your little one will be entertained with advert-free books, games, videos and apps.

Our parent reviewer, Ed, liked the protective cover, saying, "It boasts a robust foam case, which has proven essential for durability in small, clumsy hands."

You can have peace of mind with parental controls to help prevent any potential (and often unwanted) in-app purchases without permission, thanks to the easy-to-use Parent Dashboard. This allows you to control what your child can access, and you can have four separate profiles, which is ideal if you have children of different ages using the same tablet. This has the added bonus that the tablet will grow with your child, providing access to more apps and content as they age.

Parents thought the parent controls were particularly helpful; one reviewer said that she likes “that I can set screen times for different categories of apps and set the tablet to stop working at a chosen time every day”.

While it's aimed at three to seven-year-olds, our tester felt that it was a little tricky for his three-year-old child to navigate without help. "In many ways, the tablet feels more like an adult device repackaged for children. While the parental controls are easy to set up and provide good security, navigating the tablet and switching profiles is not intuitive. This lack of intuitiveness extends to general usage; my 5-year-old manages with minimal help, but my 3-year-old struggles significantly." Therefore, this may be better for children towards the top of the suggested 3-7 years age range. 

Our tester was impressed with the battery life and memory - "The battery life is impressive, easily lasting through long car journeys with a full film viewing. Performance-wise, the tablet handles apps and games swiftly enough to keep impatient kids satisfied. Storage hasn’t been an issue; we’ve downloaded plenty of apps and films without any problems. Connectivity is seamless, and it stays connected to WiFi without a hitch."

It also has a 2-year guarantee and comes in three colours, so if you have multiple tablets to avoid arguments between children, you’ll easily know whose is whose!

Read our full Amazon Fire 8 review

This children's tablet is the perfect in-between for school-age children where they can feel like they have a more grown-up device whilst parental controls are still enabled. With a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, they'll have access to thousands of apps and games, audiobooks, and videos. They can also use the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Tablet to make voice and video calls and browse the web safely and securely.

The parental controls are popular with users, and our mum tester, Gabby, “liked that I could download the Amazon kids app on my phone, where I could add time limits to enable and disable specific features like web browsers where certain websites can be blocked. The time limits work wonders on school nights when trying to negotiate a balance of screen time and school work."

Speed was a key factor in many parents’ 5* reviews, and our mum tester Gabby also picked this feature out as a particular highlight, saying, “We were also so impressed that a 2-hour movie downloaded in just a few minutes”.

Mum tester Rebecca loved the wide range of content her kids could access, including books, games, streaming services and the camera/video. However, she pointed out that "much of this content is part of the Amazon Kids+ subscription, so it'll be interesting to see how much they can do without it. Saying that most of their time on the tablet is spent on streaming films from Disney and playing games they've downloaded, and these are outside the Amazon Kids+ subscriptions."

Rebecca did notice that "it's not possible to switch between profiles when you're outside WIFI which makes it hard if you are on a car journey and trying to share the tablet between the kids." It's also worth noting that "you can't change the parental controls outside WIFI, so if you're on a long car journey, and their time limit runs out, you can't extend it... as we discovered!"

Some reviewers seems confused about whether it was possible to get YouTube Kids on this tablet -You can add YouTube Kids to your child's profile by going to the Parent Dashboard, navigating to the Content tab, and selecting the child profile.

Read our full Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Tablet review.

Designed with children in mind, this children's tablet comes with a kid-proof case to prevent accidental breakages, a kickstand for comfortable watching, and parental controls. As with the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Tablet in our number one slot, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Tablet includes one year of Amazon Kids+ and offers access to lots of learning games that feel like fun, as well as apps like Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer Kids.

While the content is the same, our mum tester, Gabby, thought “the 10.1inch screen and the 32Gb of memory was a massive improvement from (her daughter’s) previous 7in 16GB Fire kids tablet”. Another reviewer agreed that the larger screen was a plus, saying, “I’ve bought smaller versions in the past, but the bigger version is much better for watching things on and navigating around the screen”.

Parents liked the “dual camera which can easily be switched between rear and front-facing camera”, and the larger 32GB memory which allowed the “quick download of a few movies from Disney ready for a long car journey.” It’s got an impressive battery life of 13 hours, which reviewers noted was “great for children who want it and want it now!”. 

Read our full Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Tablet review.

This powerful Android tablet for children boasts 32GB of memory, with an in-built iWawa app that gives you plenty of control over access and screen time, as well as the option to download other apps from Google Play. With up to 6 hours of battery life, it should provide entertainment for a long car journey.

While parents were impressed with the large 10.1 inch screen, said the “battery life is great” and praised the parental controls, some reviewers reported issues with the longevity of the tablet. 
Though it has a child-proof casing and claims to be shock-proof, some reviewers felt it could be more cushioned and protective.

This children's tablet is incredibly child-friendly, with many safety features already pre-installed, including the ability to set screen-time limits, prevent unwanted app downloads and allow safe internet use. It is preloaded with 40 learning apps and games which children seem to enjoy, with one parent saying, “On the part of my child, there is a clear thumbs up, a purchase recommendation from me.”

It has a seven-inch touch screen that “fits comfortably in children's hands and can be operated intuitively and safely” and a 16 GB memory, which is less than the others we reviewed. Some reviewers felt the battery life could be improved.

While an iPad might feel a little extravagant for kids, this 10th-generation iPad has lots of kid-friendly features and is great for older children. We'd suggest it has the potential to be an iPad for all the family, as our reviewer, Steph, notes. "I think where the iPad 10th generation comes into its own is with the versatility it offers users, whether you want to use it for downtime or work. Not only is it ideal for creatives and professionals, but it’s also been made with children and families in mind too," she said after testing the iPad. However, she does note that "it would be good to be able to have multiple accounts on the one tablet, to make it easier for multiple people to use without changing the other user’s settings. This is possible with the Amazon Fire 10 Pro, though this is certainly aimed more at kids.

The Apple iPad has 64GB memory storage, which is double that of many of the tablets on our list, as well as a 10.9-inch screen and an Apple A14 Bionic Chip for impressive speed and power. It's ideal for older children and teens who might want to be creative, with a superb 12MP ultra-wide front camera and a 12MP wide camera on the back to capture images sharply.

It can also be combined with a smart keyboard and Apple pencil 1st generation, so it could be helpful as a homework tool. Our tester, Steph, pointed out that you can set up Screen Time, which can keep track of how family members are using their devices, making it easier to manage your child’s screen time. "These tools not only accommodate personal preferences but create an adaptable learning environment for all kinds of learners so that everyone can get the most out of the iPad."

It also has 10 hours of battery life, so it won't let your little one down when they are in the middle of their favourite game. Reviewers appreciated how long the battery lasts and how quickly it charges, with one saying, “They charge quickly, which is fantastic; the kids don’t have to wait long before they’re up and running again”. As Steph points out, it comes in more fun colours than previous iPads, so it is fun for kids (and grown-ups who remember the old iPods!).

One thing to note is that there's no headphone jack, but Bluetooth headphones should fill the gap here and our list of the best kids headphones has a number of Bluetooth options.

Read our fullApple iPad 10th generation review

This is a great tablet for families, so it’s likely you’ll appreciate it just as much as your little one, which makes it a better value for money. It is the first tablet with a charging speaker dock, meaning it can double as a hub for your smart home. Reviewers liked this versatility and the fact the “tablet can be docked and still be used as it charges”. The 10.9-inch screen and display of 1600 x 2560 pixels meant reviewers described it as "crystal clear”, and our tester Maria said, "The 10.95-inch screen is honestly big enough for our little family of four to watch it together". The audio also gained good feedback, with the additional speaker dock improving the tablet's audio.

It has an impressive battery life of up to 11 hours and 128GB storage so you shouldn’t need to worry about it slowing down or running out of battery while your little one is using it. Operating on Android, it's great for online safety and you can set controls to monitor screen time as well as individual profiles for family members. Reviewers appreciated the peace of mind this brought, and our mum tester, Maria, appreciated the versatility, which allowed her to "have my adult profile, which I can password protect to keep things like my banking apps safe. I also have a kids' profile for my son".

Both of our mum testers, Maria and Stephanie, felt it could be improved with a child-friendly case as it made it more risky to take out of the house, with Stephanie saying, "Since the case doesn’t have a screen cover, I personally don’t like to take it out and about too much".

Read our full Google Pixel Tablet review.

This tablet is available in two colours and is perfect for keeping the little ones entertained safely without the higher price tag of some other tablets. The case of the PRITOM Kids Tablet is nice and sturdy and made from soft silicone, so it’s nice to hold but also has a stand for ease. Alongside access to apps, it has a front and rear facing camera so budding photographers can click away. A clever night light feature allows you to adjust the screen to protect children's eyes.

While you can download apps or programs from Google Play, it also comes with several pre-installed kid-friendly apps for the children to play with. You can set up Parental Controls, including filtering content by age, setting screen time limits, choosing the content they see and blocking inappropriate websites and apps. The parents praised the “age-appropriate games installed, and screen quality is really good”.

Some parents felt the battery life could be better, though one noted that this isn’t an issue as “once the battery ran out, that’s their screen time for the day gone.” Overall, people felt it was a good option at a lower price point than most and “great quality for the price.”