Our team of mobile plan experts have compared 325 SIM-only plans from 48 mobile providers in Australia. We've curated 5 top picks based on price, data, network and expert analysis. Not all mobile plans are created equal, so make sure you compare your options before choosing the right one for you.
Best mobile phone plans for kids and teens for March 2025
Best cheap mobile plan for kids and teens: Yomojo 8GB
Best value mobile plan for kids and teens: Southern Phone Small
Best mobile plans for kids and teens with parental control features: Spriggy Mobile Essential
Best mobile plan for kids and teens on the Telstra network: Tangerine 25GB 5G SIM
Best long-expiry prepaid plan for kids and teens: Catch Connect 365 Day Plan 200GB
Why you can trust our research
325Mobile plans analysed
758Australians surveyed
180+hours of research
Expert picks reviewed by Mariam Gabaji – Utilities editor at Finder
Best cheap mobile plan for kids and teens
Yomojo 8GB
minutes Calls & Text
8GB
data
$9.95 per
30 days
$9.95/recharge for the first 3 recharges, then $19.90/recharge Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 31.5.25
You’ll save close to $30 over three months with Yomojo’s offer. It’s also one of the cheapest month-to-month mobile plans in our database.
Uses the Optus 4G network, Australia's second-largest for coverage.
Sign up easily with an eSIM on a compatible handset, so you don’t have to wait for a physical SIM to arrive in the mail.
The price of the plan will revert to $19.90 a month after three months.
Mobile network: Optus 4G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $208.95
Why we chose it
To find the best cheap mobile plan for kids and teens, we looked at mobile plans from Finder partners that cost $20 a month of less. We then gave each shortlisted plan a value score by assigning weights to a number of factors including cost per data over 12 months (including promotional offers), network coverage, international call inclusions, data rollover and Wi-Fi calling. Our top pick was chosen based on the plan with the highest value score.
Best value mobile plan for kids and teens
Southern Phone Small
Unlimited Calls & Text
20GB
data
$14 per
month
$14/mth for the first 6 months, then $24/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 15.4.25
You’ll save $60 over 6 months with Southern Phone’s current offer.
$50 international call credit included.
Option to sign up via an eSIM if you have a compatible handset.
All of its mobile plans are carbon neutral.
The price will revert to $24 a month after 6 months.
Mobile network: Optus 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $228
Why we chose it
To choose the best mobile plan for kids and teens to avoid bill shock, we looked at plans in our database from Finder partners that cost under $35 a month. We then gave each plan a value score by weighting different factors including cost over 12 (including promotional offers), network coverage, international call inclusions, data rollover and Wi-Fi calling. Our top pick was chosen based on the plan with the highest value score from a Finder partner and the cheapest cost.
Best mobile plans for kids and teens with parental control features
Spriggy Mobile Essential
Unlimited Calls & Text
25GB
data
$25 per
month
$25/mth for the first 3 months, then $30/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply.
Parental control features include the option to monitor ongoing calls and turn their data on and off using Spriggy's mobile app.
New bedtime mode feature will be coming soon. It’ll help you ensure your kid’s not on their phone between 8pm and 8am.
The plan stacks up well against our $1 per GB benchmark. The data allowance is plenty especially if you’re streaming content on YouTube and such regularly.
You can rollover unused data up to 75GB.
The plan will auto-renew by default. If you decide to cancel the plan, make sure to do it before the next billing cycle.
Mobile network: Optus 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $345
Why we chose it
To choose the best mobile plan for kids and teens with parental controls, we looked at plans in our database from Finder partners that cost $40 a month or less and had some sort of parental control feature. We then gave each plan a value score by weighting different factors including cost over 12 (including promotional offers), network coverage, international call inclusions, data rollover and Wi-Fi calling. Our top pick was chosen based on the plan with the highest value score from a Finder partner and the cheapest cost.
Best mobile plan for kids and teens on the Telstra network
You can bank up to 1000GB of unused data for future use.
Save 10% on your mobile bill when you bundle with one of Tangerine's broadband plans.
Unlimited calls and texts to 15 selected countries.
Option to sign up via an eSIM if you have a compatible handset. This way you won’t have to wait for a physical SIM card to be delivered.
You can sign up for Tangerine’s 12GB plan for $22 a month now or switch after four months if you want to save on ongoing costs and don’t need that much data.
There's a $3.50 charge for non-direct debit payments.
Mobile network: Wholesale Telstra 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $348
Why we chose it
To choose the best mobile plan for coverage for kids and teens, we looked at options in our database from Finder partners that cost $40 a month or less and on Telstra's full or wholesale network. Of the plans that met our criteria, we then ranked them by our value score and went with the highest-ranking plan.
Best long-expiry prepaid plan for kids and teens
Catch Connect 365 Day Plan 200GB
Unlimited Calls & Text
200GB
data
$149 per
365 days
$149 for the first recharge, then $200/recharge after. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 29.4.25
This offer is the equivalent of paying around $12.50 for 17GB each month. This stacks up well against our $1 per GB benchmark.
Catch offers a handy mobile app to help you track data usage and manage your plan.
It received the highly commended award for 'Long Expiry Prepaid Mobile Plan' in the 2024 Finder Product Awards.
The price of the plan reverts to $200 from the second recharge.
Mobile network: Optus 4G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $149
Why we chose it
To choose the best long-expiry prepaid mobile plan for kids and teens, we looked at 365-day plans in our database from Finder partners that cost $200 or less. Of the plans that met our criteria, we then ranked them by our value score and went with the highest-ranking plan.
For most categories we use a value scoring system. The factors we score are:
Cost per gigabyte. This is calculated by taking the price of the plan over 12 months divided by the amount of data (GB).
Network coverage. We awarded scores depending on how wide the network coverage is across Australia.
Data rollover. We weight providers that offer data rollover higher than those that don't have this feature.
International calls. This includes those that offer unlimited calls or credit/minutes for international purposes.
Wi-Fi calling. We weight providers that offer Wi-Fi calling higher than those that don't have this feature.
We then assign a weight to each of the factors in order to calculate a value score. Price and data are given the highest weighting.
How do I find the best mobile plan for my kid?
We understand that staying connected with your kids wherever they are is a top priority.
If you're a parent looking to get your kid or teenager on the right mobile plan, here's a breakdown of some key points to consider.
1. Don't pay too much
You don't want to be spending a fortune on your kid's mobile plan. These days, most plans come with unlimited talk and text, so it's really just data you need to look out for.
Prepaid plans can be a great way to limit spending for your kid so you don't get hit with excess charges.
Long expiry plans can also be good value for money (and possibly cheaper overall) but you're going to have to commit to a minimum of 90 days.
2. Keep an eye on data usage
If your child's big on streaming and video calling on the go, you might want to consider opting for a decent data allowance instead of paying excess charges or topping up data on the fly.
The good news is that most mobile plans come with no lock-in contract these days, so you can always switch to a plan with more suitable data inclusions if one doesn't work out.
3. Check the provider's mobile app
To make sure your kid isn't going overboard on using the Internet while they're out and blowing through their mobile plan inclusions, consider providers that offer a user-friendly mobile app.
These apps can track your kids' data usage to help you avoid excess charges and make use of other features such as recharging your plan.
4. Cyber safety features
If you're worried about your child's safety online and how much time they spend on their screen, you can sign up to specific mobile providers that offer features to address your concerns.
Optus and Spriggy both offer family-friendly features across some of their mobile plans:
Optus offers free access to The McAfee Safe Family App on the Optus Family Plan. This will help you with content restrictions, screen time rules and location tracking.
Spriggy has multiple safety features such as being able to track who your kid’s calling and being able to turn their data on and off.
If these providers don’t meet your needs you can look into other third-party parental control apps instead.
Both prepaid and postpaid plans come with different advantages. The best type of mobile plan for your kid will largely come down to how restrictive you want to be.
Prepaid plans are set up so that once the plan's inclusions have been used up, you'll get cut off until you recharge your plan again. This means you won't have to worry about getting slammed with excess usage fees.
Postpaid plans guarantee that your kid won't be left stranded without any mobile data while they're out and about. On a postpaid plan, if you use more data than allocated on your plan, you'll automatically be charged extra so you can continue to use your plan as normal.
Family mobile plans allow you to have all your family's mobile plans from 1 provider under 1 account. It makes for easier management when it comes time to pay your bills.
While it might help with keeping organised, the lack of plan controls available on most family plans could be problematic. With family plans, all the data across the different mobile plans become pooled together. This gives your kids the opportunity to use up all the data themselves.
We think getting your kid their own mobile plan could be a better way to go. This way, you can limit their usage and not stress over your data disappearing suddenly.
If you're looking for a more affordable way to get your kid a smartphone, you can consider signing up to a phone on a plan.
Instead of forking out hundreds or thousands of dollars outright, getting a phone on a plan breaks down the cost of the phone over monthly repayment periods.
Just keep in mind that plans that come attached with new phones are often more expensive than SIM only plans. This option may not be the best for those with tighter budgets at the forefront of their minds.
Mariam Gabaji is a journalist with 13 years of experience, specialising in consumer topics like mobile services and energy costs. Her work appears in the ABC, Yahoo Finance, 9News, The Guardian, SBS, 7News, A Current Affair and Money Magazine. Mariam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and was a finalist for the 2024 IT Journalism Award for Best Telecommunications Journalist. See full bio
Mariam's expertise
Mariam has written 333 Finder guides across topics including:
Trying to find mobile phone for teen with disability diagnoses. Safety and security of utmost importance.
Finder
AngusSeptember 24, 2024Finder
Both iPhone and Android have a range of assistive features, so either could be good choices. In practice, it might make sense to opt for whichever platform you’re already using yourself, as you’ll be more familiar with it and can check/test features on your own device as well. Hope this helps.
Save your unused data for later with data banking and rollover. Find mobile plans that let you keep what you don’t use!
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Trying to find mobile phone for teen with disability diagnoses. Safety and security of utmost importance.
Both iPhone and Android have a range of assistive features, so either could be good choices. In practice, it might make sense to opt for whichever platform you’re already using yourself, as you’ll be more familiar with it and can check/test features on your own device as well. Hope this helps.