Technologies
Best Headphones for Kids of 2025
Looking for an affordable pair of headphones for a younger child? Here are our top picks.
Our Experts
- Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
What to consider
Budget
The quality of value-priced headphones continues to improve, so you can find good affordable kids’ headphones for less than $50, but there are some premium models that cost $100 or more.
Fit
It’s key that the headphones you buy fit your child’s ears well. They should offer a comfortable fit that’s snug yet not too snug. A lot of kids’ headphones are on-ear models, which are more compact.
Durability
You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality.
Wireless or wired?
Wireless headphones are the way to go, but if you’re traveling on a plane and want your child to be able to plug into an in-flight entertainment, look for a model that also has a cord you can plug into the headphone for wired use.
Return policy
It’s critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer’s remorse.
I’ve tested hundreds of headphones over the years, and most of them work just fine for kids. But when you’re looking for headphones for your children, especially for kids who are under 11, you tend to look for more compact models that don’t cost too much. Additionally, some folks want headphones that have a volume limiter to protect their child’s hearing (you can also set volume restrictions in the settings of a smartphone or tablet, but not everybody wants to fiddle with those settings). Some of the wireless models on this list also have a wired option in case you want your child to be able to tap into an in-flight entertainment system, but not all do. I’ve also included one headphone that is wired-only. Recently added: The 1More HQ20 SonoFlow Mini Kids.
What are the best kids’ headphones overall?
The iClever HTH20 currently sits at the top of this list and is a safe bet as far as kids headphones go. But all the models on this list are appealing headphones for children. If you’re looking for more headphones options, check out our lists for best noise-canceling headphones and best noise-canceling budget headphones under $100.
Best kids’ headphones of 2025
Best new kids’ headphones with active noise canceling
Pros
- Comfortable, sturdy design
- Decent enough sound quality
- Active noise canceling
- Volume limiter
- Simple controls
- Good battery life
Cons
- Headband adjustment is a little stiff
- Should have used native English speaker for voice prompts
The iClever BTH20 headphones check a lot boxes for a top kids headphone: They feature a comfortable, sturdy design (the headband is quite bendable and the ear pads are nicely cushioned), decent enough sound (it lacks a bit of clarity, but it’s not bad), cost less than $40 (for Amazon Prime members), have active noise canceling (there are two levels to choose from, as well as off), a volume limiter, simple controls and good battery life (35 hours with ANC on). Also, along with Bluetooth 5.4, they come with a cable for wired listening, so your child can use them on a plane. And last but no least, they come with a very basic carrying pouch that’s eco-friendly. Designed for younger kids with small to medium-sized heads, I can’t guarantee they’ll fit youngsters with bigger heads, but most kids shouldn’t have a problem getting a good fit.
Top affordable kids headphones from 1More
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Comfortable fit with nicely padded ear cups and headband
- Headphones fold up and fold flat
- Volume limiter
Cons
- No carrying case included
- No wired option
1More is a value audio brand that tends to deliver a good bang for your buck, and its new 1More HQ20 SonoFlow Mini Kids on-ear headphones check that box. In terms of styling, they aren’t so different from the Soundcore by Anker H30i headphones, but they do feature feature nicely padded ear cups and good padding on the top of the headband, so they should fit most kids’ heads comfortably. (They don’t have active noise canceling but the ear pads passively seal out a good amount of ambient sound.) With 40mm drivers, they’re capable of outputting pretty big sound — they offer decent bass and clarity — but the key «kids feature» is a volume limiter that has three settings in the 1More companion app for iOS and Android. (Be sure to install the 1More app, not 1More Music.) No carry pouch is included nor is there a wired option, but the headphones are easy to operate and are rated for up to an impressive 65 hours of battery life.
Best budget on-ear headphones for less than $40
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Attractive design
- Decent sound
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Voice-calling performance could be a little better
The Soundcore H30i are inexpensive on-ear wireless headphones that compete with the Sony CH-520 and JBL Tube 510BT (the Tune 520BT is its new-for-2024 successor). There’s no active noise-canceling and the headphones are pretty no frills, but they do feature decent sound quality with ample bass for their low price, and you can pair them to two devices simultaneously (multipoint Bluetooth). I’m slightly more partial to the Sony CH-520, which are slightly more comfortable and sound slightly better (they have a tad more clarity). That said, the H30i have a folding design, and while they don’t come with a carrying pouch, they do include a headphone cord for wired listening (the Sonys are wireless only).
Battery life is impressive — the H30i are rated for up to 70 hours of listening at moderate volume levels. And while you shouldn’t expect great voice-calling performance, it is acceptable in quieter environments. I also appreciated that you can tweak the sound profile in the companion Soundcore app for iOS and Android.
Well-designed wireless kids’ headphones with volume limiter
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Comfortable
- Decent enough sound for the price
- Volume limiter
- Shared headphone port
Cons
- Only available in black
Skullcandy’s Grom Wireless over-ear headphones are being targeted at kids, and they’re a good choice for the 12-and-under set. They have basically everything you’d want in a kids’ headphone, including a comfortable fit, decent enough sound, a volume limiter, a shared headphone port and a wired option in case you need it for an in-flight entertainment system. Battery life is rated at 45 hours, which is also good.
Note that this headphone also comes in a wired-only version for around $25 in white and blue.
Best cheap wireless on-ear headphones from Sony
Pros
- Affordable
- Lightweight and relatively comfortable for on-ear headphones
- Excellent battery life
- Good sound for their price
Cons
- Entry-level look and feel
- Limited feature set with no wired option
Sony released its new entry-level CH-720N noise-canceling headphones in 2023. They’re quite good, but if you can’t afford them (they list for $150), the company’s new budget on-ear CH-520 headphones are an intriguing option for only around $50.
They lack noise canceling and are pretty no-frills, but they feature good sound for their price, are lightweight, and pretty comfortable for on-ear headphones, and also have excellent battery life (they’re rated for up to 50 hours at moderate volume levels). Additionally, they have multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can pair them with two devices simultaneously, such as a smartphone and computer, and switch audio. Voice-calling performance is decent, though not up to the level of what you get with the CH-720N.
Note that there’s no wired option — this is a wireless Bluetooth-only headphone. The CH-520 offers overall balanced sound with decent clarity. The bass has some punch to it but doesn’t pack a wallop, and you’re not going to get quite as wide a soundstage as you get from Sony’s more expensive over-ear headphones. But these definitely sound better than Sony’s previous entry-level on-ear headphones and sound better than I thought they would. I tried the white color, but they also come in blue and black.
Budget ANC on-ear headphones for kids
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Relatively comfortable for on-ear headphones
- Decent enough sound for the price
- ANC
Cons
- Only available in black
- No wired option
JLab is known for its value headphones, and the JLab Studio ANC is one of the few on-ear inexpensive on-ear headphones to have active noise-canceling. The ANC is fairly middle-of-the-road, and while these aren’t the greatest sounding headphones, they sound better than you’d expect pretty decent given their low price. Note that only the black model has ANC; the other colors don’t (they cost $30 instead of $33). Also, these are wireless-only headphones, so they won’t plug into an in-flight entertainment system.
Best cheap kids’ headphones for plane travel
Pros
- Inexpensive and lightweight
- Comfortable
- Sound good
Cons
- They do look and feel a little cheap
While the JVC Flats may not be terribly durable, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better sounding set of wired on-ear headphones for their low price. They’re available in multiple color options, all of which cost around $13. If you’re just looking for a compact set of kids’ headphones for plugging into an in-flight entertainment system, these are easy to recommend.
Budget on-ear multipoint headphones
Pros
- Affordable
- Lightweight and compact
- Good sound
- Multipoint Bluetooth pairing
Cons
- No wired option
I was a fan of Creative’s original Sound Blaster Jam headphones that came out in 2015 and had a decidedly retro look and feel, with good sound for the money. Now they’re available in a 2.0 version that has some key upgrades, including Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C charging, improved call quality and multipoint Bluetooth pairing that allows you to pair it to two devices simultaneously. Battery life is rated at up to 22 hours.
I was able to pair this wireless headphone set with a Mac Mini and an iPhone 12 Pro and then switch audio between them. Often when pairing Bluetooth headphones with Mac and Windows PCs, one can encounter some issues, but once I got the headphones paired with both my PC and phone, they made a good pair of work-from-home headphones. Also, the price is right for parents looking for a decent set of kids’ headphones for remote learning and everyday use.
Comfortable for on-ear headphones, the Jam V2s are lightweight and have nicely balanced sound with good detail and bass that’s ample but not overpowering. Call quality was good in my tests with callers saying they could hear me well even on the noisy streets of New York. No carry pouch is included, but you do get an extra set of foam ear pads, which is good, because they will wear out over time.
The headphones have physical buttons for controlling volume and playback, and there’s aptX support for devices that support the wireless streaming codec.
Factors to consider when choosing kids’ headphones
Budget
Before anything else, you’ll want to figure out how much you’re willing to spend on new kids’ headphones. The quality of value-priced headphones continues to improve, so you can find good affordable kids’ headphones for less than $50. The premium models, which offer better build quality and sometimes extra features such as noise canceling, tend to cost $100 or more.
Fit (comfort)
It’s key that the headphones you buy fit your child’s ears well. They should offer a comfortable fit that’s snug yet not too snug. A lot of kids’ headphones are on-ear models, which are more compact.
Durability
You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality.
Wireless or wired?
Wireless headphones are the way to go, but if you’re traveling on a plane and want your child to be able to plug into an in-flight entertainment, look for a model that also has a cord you can plug into the headphone jack for wired use.
Return policy
It’s critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer’s remorse.
How we test headphones and earbuds
We test headphones and earbuds based on six key criteria. These criteria include design, sound quality, noise-canceling performance, voice-calling performance, features and value.
- Design: Evaluating design, we assess not only how comfortable the headphones and earbuds fit (their ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. When it comes to earbuds, we also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings.
- Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing the earbuds to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.
- Noise-canceling performance: If the headphones we’re testing feature active noise canceling (ANC), we evaluate ANC performance by wearing the headphones in the same spot indoors near a noisy HVAC unit to see how well they do at muffling lower frequencies. Then we head out to the streets of New York to test the headphones in a real-world environment, where we see how they muffle not only street noise but people’s voices.
- Extra features: Some great-sounding noise-canceling headphones and earbuds aren’t loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from quick-access awareness to transparency modes (your music pauses and the headphones open up to the outside world so you can have a conversation) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears. We also take a look at the companion app for the headphones if there is one and how user-friendly it is.
- Voice-calling: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well the headphones or earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear our voices.
- Value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the headphones and earbuds against all these criteria and what they’re able to deliver compared to other models in their price class.
Other kids’ headphones we tested
Puro Sound Labs BT2200: Puro Labs has long been a leader in kids’ headphones as all its kids’ headphones include a volume limiter. While the BT2200s have a somewhat generic design, they’re built sturdily and offer decent performance and sound. They’re just a little bulky and a tad expensive at $99. The company also sells a $30 on-ear model with a volume limiter that isn’t as durable.
Belkin SoundForm Mini: Available in four color options, the SoundForm Mini are in many ways your typical pair of budget on-ear headphones for kids. But they’re decent-enough looking, reasonably comfortable (don’t expect supersoft ear pads, however) and sound OK. While they charge via Micro-USB instead of USB-C (that’s less than ideal), they have good battery life — up to 30 hours — and their volume is capped at 85db to protect your youngster’s ears. A charging cable and headphone cord are included for wired listening.
Best kids’ headphones FAQ
Technologies
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 24 #692
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Jan. 24, No. 692.
Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is one of those where the answers only make sense in pairs. There are six answers to find, and each of them matches up with one of the other answers. Some of them are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.
I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is: A work of art.
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: On museum walls.
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
- FINS, FINE, FINES, GARB, BOAT, GATES, GATES, FIST, RATE, RATS, STAR, PAINT, SILL, SPAT
Answers for today’s Strands puzzle
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
- STARRY, NIGHT, WATER, LILIES, BOATING, PARTY
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is FAMOUSPAINTING. To find it, start with the F that’s four letters down on the far-left vertical row, and wind up, across, and then down.
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Toughest Strands puzzles
Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest.
#1: Dated slang. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.
#2: Thar she blows! I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.
#3: Off the hook. Again, it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.
Technologies
San Diego Comic-Con Draws a Line: No AI Art Allowed at 2026 Event
The long-running fan convention is banning AI-created works from its popular art show.
Like Sarah Connor in The Terminator, San Diego Comic-Con is fighting back against AI. The prestigious, long-running pop culture convention has banned all artwork created by artificial intelligence from the 2026 Comic-Con art show. Rules posted on the Comic-Con website now state that AI-generated art won’t be shown in any form.
«Material created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) either partially or wholly, is not allowed in the art show. If there are questions, the Art Show Coordinator will be the sole judge of acceptability,» the website reads.
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A representative for San Diego Comic-Con did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the past, the convention allowed participants to display AI artwork, provided it was clearly marked as such and wasn’t sold. But now, those artists can’t even bring it through the door. The rule change is a response to artist-led pushback, according to a 404 Media report. San Diego Comic-Con is one of the world’s most famous pop culture conventions, uniting comics, movies, television, gaming, cosplay and collectibles.
Jim Zub, writer for the Conan the Barbarian and Dungeons and Dragons comic book series, told CNET he supports Comic-Con’s decision and hopes other conventions will follow their lead.
«Hundreds of thousands of people attend San Diego Comic-Con each year, and the excitement that generates isn’t because they’re eager to meet a computer spitting out homogenized slop,» Zub said.
Zub, who’s also an artist, is scheduled to appear at Comic-Con in 2026.
Entertaining AI
The use of generative AI in comic book and pop culture art has generated controversy in recent years as AI programs have become more skilled at imitating creators.
A central focus of the 2023 actor’s strike involved backlash against the use of AI in movies and television. The issue has continued to roil Hollywood, as actors, special effects designers, and other film workers see the technology as a threat, while some movie studios view AI as a way to reduce production costs.
Netflix has already begun using AI-generated imagery in at least one series, Argentine sci-fi show El Eternauta. CEO Ted Sarandos praised the technology during a 2025 earnings call.
«We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper,» Sarandos said at the time.
AI is also an issue in the video game industry, with publishers facing swift backlash whenever fans discover AI was used in a game. The Indie Game Awards rescinded two awards for the hit RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, after they found out that AI-made placeholder assets were included when the game launched. The game developer quickly patched the assets out.
While the movie and video game industries appear to have mixed views on using AI, Comic-Con has taken a firm stance, at least for now.
«Artists, writers, actors and other creatives gather and celebrate the popular arts in person because the people part of the equation is what matters most,» Zub said.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Jan. 24
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 24.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s a long one, as per usual on Saturday. 1-Down made me awfully hungry! Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Snow day vehicle
Answer: PLOW
5A clue: Steam room alternative
Answer: SAUNA
6A clue: Show on which Jon Hamm had his breakout role
Answer: MADMEN
7A clue: Subject of negotiations with a 3-year-old
Answer: BEDTIME
8A clue: Respected veteran, in slang
Answer: OLDHEAD
9A clue: Gain back, as trust
Answer: REEARN
10A clue: Spooky
Answer: EERIE
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Noodle dish garnished with lime wedges and crushed peanuts
Answer: PADTHAI
2D clue: Singing candlestick in «Beauty and the Beast»
Answer: LUMIERE
3D clue: ___ band
Answer: ONEMAN
4D clue: Decreased in size, as the moon
Answer: WANED
5D clue: More blue
Answer: SADDER
6D clue: Chaotic fight
Answer: MELEE
7D clue: Total snoozefest
Answer: BORE
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
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