The Best Kids’ Headphones for Sensitive Little Ears

As writers and testers in WIRED’s Gadget Lab, we spend all day immersed in personal technology of all kinds. It’s probably no surprise that if we work on a computer during the day and enjoy gaming in our downtime, our kids do, too. My colleague Adrienne So has a 6-year-old and a 9-year-old that attended school remotely and play video games; I (Simon Hill) have an 11- and a 14-year-old. Between us, we—er, well, our kids—have tested many of the kid headphones on the market.

These are our top picks, along with some advice—such as why you might want a pair of child-specific headphones. Don’t forget to check out our other parenting guides, such as the Best Kid Tablets and the Best Kid Podcasts. Looking for a pair for yourself? Check out our list of the Best Headphones.

Updated February 2024: We added headphones from Puro Sound Labs, Altec Lansing, iClever, and myFirst.

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