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
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The company said the feature intends to let creators connect with their audiences in real time, whether it’s an author hosting a Q&A about a newly published book or musicians testing out new music for their fans.
The tool directly competes with similar offerings on platforms like Twitch, but a focus on creator-owned communities and fewer distractions.
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«Until now, creators have had to go live on platforms that weren’t designed to prioritize their businesses,» the company said in a statement. «We’re changing that: because it’s built directly within Patreon, creators won’t need to compete with crowded feeds, distracting ads, or anything else that gets in the way of connecting creators with their core fans.»
Some can access feature this week
Creators will be able to go live via the Patreon mobile app or desktop, with options for free or paid member access, allowing them to tailor streams for audience growth or earnings, according to the company.
The platform is also adding a live chat for real-time conversations, emoji reactions that appear over the video player and moderation tools that let creators set the tone for their communities.
Creators will also have the option to share livestream recordings with fans who missed the event or download the videos for use on other platforms.
Patreon said some creators will receive early access to the feature as soon as this week with a wider rollout planned for later this summer.
Will Patreon creators use it?
«It’s interesting, but I won’t be using this yet,» said Luke Westaway, content creator, Patreon user and former CNET senior editor.
Westaway says he values consistency for his subscribers.
«I do weekly livestreams on YouTube just for Patrons which they access via an embedded player in a Patreon post, and in my experience Patreon subscribers value consistency and predictability in their content and I’m very cautious of anything that switches up how they access it,» he said. «That said, there are some features you just can’t do on YouTube, like the promised ability to sell streams after the fact as one-time VOD purchases, which could be cool.»
Westaway has an established account, but he acknowledges new users might feel differently.
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Video chat and meeting platform Zoom has been experiencing outages for many users today.
Following widespread outages for Spotify users on Wednesday, numerous users report that the online meeting service Zoom is also down. As of Wednesday midday Pacific time, Zoom’s website, support page and email client also weren’t available.
While these issues are currently preventing many Zoom users from making it to their meetings, it’s not clear what has gone wrong with the service or why it is so widespread. On Downdetector, complaint reports are highest for the website and app, followed by login attempts.
Users from Michigan, California, Texas, Nevada and New Jersey have all commented online that they are unable to use Zoom at their locations.
When CNET reached out to Lacretia Nichols, product communications and content lead at Zoom, she responded, «Thanks for reaching out. We are aware that some users are experiencing an outage. We are investigating and will provide updates.»
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Star Wars has seemingly returned to Fortnite. Following weeks of rumors that the hugely popular battle royale shooter Fortnite would be doing an entire season of content themed around a galaxy far, far away, it may soon be official.
On Wednesday, the official Fortnite account on X (formerly Twitter) revealed the game would be making a special announcement at the Star Wars Celebration in Japan on Saturday, April 19. While the Star Wars-centric season wasn’t confirmed in the post, it did tease «what’s coming next to Fortnite.»
There’s no specific time for when this Star Wars-Fortnite announcement will be made on Saturday, so if you’re interested in checking it out, stay tuned to the official Star Wars YouTube page, where all the Celebration livestreams are typically hosted.
Disney, LucasFilm and Fortnite creator Epic Games didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Is Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 3 based on Star Wars?
While this announcement seems to make things official, a Star Wars season of Fortnite has been rumored for a while now, based on claims from some of the game’s more trustworthy leakers.
On March 26, FNBRIntel claimed on X that Chapter 6, Season 3 of Fortnite would be entirely Star Wars-centric and feature «New POIs based on the series, new mythics & skins, and the storyline should connect to it in some way.» Other leaked info claims this new content will be focused around the original trilogy of movies, so sorry to be the bearer of bad news for all the Clone Wars fanatics and Reylo stans out there.
If you’re not familiar with Fortnite, then try bonding with the 10-year-olds in you life a bit more, as they have much to share on the subject. But what you need to know most is that a typical «season» can last a few months. It might seem strange for a game like Fortnite, well-known for featuring almost every IP ever created, to focus on one property for that long, so leaks have also indicated that Chapter 6, Season 3 will only last for about a month, running from May 2 to June 8.
Disney, LucasFilm and Epic Games have a history of working together, with Star Wars content and characters prominently featured in the game throughout the years. Most notably — and befuddlingly — a major canon story development key to the 2019 movie, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, played out exclusively in Fortnite.
Are any other Star Wars games coming to Star Wars Celebration?
As the name makes clear, Star Wars Celebration is a celebration of all things Star Wars, so you can bet your bottom credits that there will be more video game news than just a Fortnite collaboration. Earlier this week, Electronic Arts announced that Star Wars: Zero Company, a new turn-based strategy game from Respawn Entertainment and Bit Reactor, would be shown off at Celebration on April 19.
Respawn is the studio best known for creating the Titanfall shooter series and its battle royale spinoff, Apex Legends, as well as the acclaimed Star Wars: Jedi series. Bit Reactor is an upstart developer committed to strategy games featuring veteran talents that previously worked on the XCOM and Civilization franchises.
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