Children's headphones are not simply shrunken adult ones. The best cap the volume to protect young ears, survive being dropped, sat on and stuffed in a school bag, fit smaller heads comfortably, and add the colours, lights and fun that make a child actually want to wear them. An extensive test of 75 headphones suitable for children, 39 of them still on sale, sorted the best, and these are the top picks, checked against current UK prices.
What to Look For
Volume limiting — the safety essential. This is the single most important feature. Young ears are easily damaged, so a good pair of kids' headphones caps the maximum volume, most commonly at a safe 85 dB, so a child cannot turn the music up to a harmful level. Some models let you choose between limits such as 85 dB for younger children and a higher setting for teenagers, but a hard limit you cannot override is exactly what you want for little ones. Be warned that not every pair marketed for children limits well: in testing, some let the volume climb to 93 dB, 94 dB or even 107 dB, comfortably above the safe threshold, so look for a genuine, enforced 85 dB cap.
Wireless or wired. Bluetooth headphones give children freedom to move without a trailing cable to snag or chew, which is why most of the best are now wireless. The trade-off is charging and the occasional flat battery; a few models keep a headphone socket as well so they can plug into a seat-back screen on a plane. Decide which matters more for how your child will use them.
Comfort, fit and durability. A smaller, adjustable headband and soft, lightweight ear cushions matter far more on a child than an adult, and the headphones must be tough: expect them to be dropped and trodden on. Look for a robust, flexible build that will not snap the first time they are yanked off.
Battery and features. Wireless kids' headphones now run for a very long time — the best last up to around 45 hours between charges — so they rarely die mid-journey. Handy extras include a built-in microphone for online lessons and calls, an audio-sharing port so two children can listen to one tablet, and increasingly active noise cancelling to help on noisy trains and planes.
Fun and design. A child will only wear headphones they like, so playful colours, RGB lighting and companion apps genuinely matter here. It sounds trivial, but a fun design is the difference between headphones that get used and ones that stay in the drawer.
The Winner: Philips TAK4200
The Philips TAK4200 (around £34) is the best pair of kids' headphones for most families. It impresses on the things that count: excellent sound for the money, very good build quality and a comfortable fit, all at a fair price. It adds genuine fun with RGB lighting, a big feature set, a good companion app and a very robust design that shrugs off rough handling, while keeping the all-important volume limiting to protect young ears. The only real omission is that it is wireless-only, with no headphone socket. As an affordable, well-rounded all-rounder, it leads the field. Check the price on Amazon
