What if a child’s first smartphone came with training wheels? Solves two current dilemmas, doesn’t it? So many parents are struggling with the question of when their child is ready for a first smartphone. Children want to stay connected with friends, while parents are looking for guidance as concerns grow around screen time, social media and online safety. Meanwhile countries around the world are debating smartphone bans, social media restrictions and the impact of technology on young people.

Telecom provider, Odido, has stepped in to help, with a concept, app and campaign developed by TBWA\NEBOKO – Startphone. The new phone is an alternative to parental controls designed to help parents and children navigate a first smartphone responsibly, step by step.

Odido & TBWA\NEBOKO worked with researchers from the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, to introduce Startphone. It is backed by newresearch from the University of Amsterdam* among parents of children aged 10 to 15 which shows that parents feel responsible for their children’s online safety, but often lack the knowledge and practical tools to guide them. 82% of parents surveyed say they believe they should be doing more to protect children online.

Startphone translates the Dutch government’s new guidelines on smartphone and social media use among children and teenagers into a practical application for parents and children. While public debate and many existing solutions focus on banning, restricting or controlling smartphone use, Startphone takes a phased approach in which guidance is central. No leap into the digital deep end, but step by step – children gradually gain more digital freedom, suited to their age and development, while parents stay involved and make agreements that evolve over time.

Parents download the app via the Google Play Store on their child’s phone and complete the setup together. Once installed, the app takes over the interface and settings of an Android phone, turning a regular smartphone into a Startphone.

“Many parents experience a first smartphone as a complicated step, while at the same time knowing that their child can hardly do without one socially. That is why we do not believe in banning everything or leaving everything unrestricted, but in guidance. With Startphone, we help parents and children to deal responsibly with a first smartphone together and to make agreements that fit a child’s development. Step by step, in a way that is realistic for the everyday lives of many families. At Odido, we believe technology should help people move forward. That is why we want not only to connect parents, but also to support them in the choices that come with growing up digitally,” explained Tisha van Lammeren, CCO Mass Market at Odido.

For the app experience, TBWA\NEBOKO worked with dotdotdash, Omnicom’s experience and innovation agency. VONK was responsible for the technical realisation.

“The discussion about children and smartphones is often framed as if there are only two options: banning everything or allowing everything,” stated Anouk Zink, managing director at TBWA\NEBOKO. “From the responsibility of the brand, together with Odido and researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam, we looked at how technology can contribute to responsible smartphone use. We teach children to swim with water wings and ride bikes with training wheels. Startphone was developed from the same idea: an intermediate step that helps children become digitally independent safely, responsibly and step by step.”

Startphone was developed based on scientific insights from the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam into smartphone use, social media and the development of children and teenagers. The parties worked together for more than a year on an application that reflects different developmental stages and is in line with the Dutch government’s new guidelines on smartphone and social media use.

Because children do not all develop at the same pace, Startphone works with four levels. Scientific insights were used to determine which functionalities are appropriate for different developmental stages. As a result, the smartphone grows with the child, instead of the other way around.

Startphone is not linked to a subscription or provider. Anyone in the Netherlands with an Android smartphone can use the app free of charge, making this new way of growing up digitally accessible to families across the country.

The Startphone campaign is running in the Netherlands from June 22 across cinema, the Startphone.nl landing page, social, influencer marketing and branded content partnerships .

Startphone is available via the Google Play Store. More information can be found at startphone.nl.

*MediaMinds Parent Panel 2026, published June 15, 2026

Credits
Client: Odido
Partners: University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Lead Agency: TBWA\NEBOKO
App Experience & Design: dotdotdash
Tech Development: VONK
PR Agency: Ovide
Media Agency: WPP
Website: Odido