The landline phone has been reinvented as a safer communication option for kids.

While the topic of smartphone addiction remains quite hot, this Seattle-based company created a landline phone for kids that’s meant to serve as a safer alternative to smartphones.

The phone, which was first released a year ago, has since become a viral device, with hundreds of thousands of units already sold.

The Tin Can phone works when plugged into the socket. It doesn’t have apps and can’t be used for texting.

According to the company, it protects kids from unwanted calls, as “only approved contacts can put calls through to your Tin Can. Easily manage who's allowed in the club via the parents-only companion app.”

Users can also disable the phone by setting up quiet hours or enabling the “Do Not Disturb” feature via the app.

The $100 phone can be used to call other Tin Can phone owners for free. Those who would like to make calls to cell phones can do so by paying a $10 monthly fee.

“It also includes 1 free month of our Party Line Plan, so you can talk with approved contacts who have regular phones,” the company said.

The device is available in the US and Canada.

The Tin Can phone comes in handy at a time when people, especially parents, around the world are combating smartphone and social media addiction among teenagers.

While it’s still being evaluated whether banning social media is the way to eliminate the risks it poses, the Tin Can is also being tested to see if it can help foster safer engagement among kids.

Kids at Nativity Parish School outside Kansas City get these phones for free as part of an initiative led by the school’s parents, reports Bloomberg.

The company told the news outlet that it has seen “overwhelming demand” from educational institutions.

Tracy Foster, whose kids also attend Nativity Parish School, shared that she received 100 inquiries from parents at other schools interested in giving their kids Tin Can phones.

“We started Tin Can because we couldn’t find a phone we actually wanted to give our kids,” shared the company.

“What started in our own neighborhood is now a growing community of kids across the country who are talking to each other the old-fashioned way: by picking up a screen-less, plugged into the wall phone and saying hello,” added the startup.

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