Seattle-based Tin Can, the company that created a Wi-Fi-enabled screenless landline phone designed for children, has introduced a new initiative called Tin Can Communities. This program enables large groups such as schools, neighborhoods, and parent organizations to collectively adopt the device, offering benefits including bulk pricing discounts, dedicated onboarding assistance, and priority access to features designed specifically for group implementation.
Organizations interested in participating can purchase anywhere from 50 to over 1,000 units by contacting Tin Can directly with information about their group. According to CEO Chet Kittleson, collective adoption proves most effective when communities transition together, as it creates a larger network for children to connect with while reducing parental pressure to switch to smartphones.
The timing of this program aligns with a growing nationwide trend of parents banding together to postpone smartphone introduction for their children—an approach rooted in the belief that isolated family decisions have limited impact compared to community-wide efforts.
Since its 2024 founding by Kittleson along with co-founders Graeme Davies and Max Blumen—all formerly associated with Seattle real estate company Far Homes—Tin Can has experienced significant growth. The $100 device operates through home Wi-Fi networks, enabling children to place and receive calls only from parent-approved contacts managed via a companion application. The startup has secured $15.5 million in total funding, including a $12 million seed investment round completed in December. The company now employs 30 people and has distributed hundreds of thousands of units since introducing its main product in 2025, with its sixth manufacturing run scheduled for June delivery.
The company gained unexpected mainstream attention when late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel spontaneously mentioned the brand during his show last month, jokingly suggesting that someone provide President Trump with “one of those Tin Can phones like the kids have that are not on the internet.”
Tin Can has become central to this collective movement, with PTAs, school leadership, and various organizations seeking ways to implement community-wide adoption strategies. The company reports that groups have been proactively requesting methods to coordinate mass
participation.
On Washington’s San Juan Island, Alexandra and John Iarussi
established the Mythic Farms Foundation nonprofit specifically to distribute Tin Can phones to every child in Friday Harbor. The initial 300 families enrolled received complimentary devices. Within just one week, this group generated over 1,500 calls totaling more than 75 hours of conversation—nearly double the typical first-week usage for new networks, according to company data.
Alexandra Iarussi, who has four sons, explained to the San Juan Journal that children between ages 10 and 16 have approximately 8,760 hours that smartphones typically consume—representing four hours daily over six years of childhood.
In Kansas City, Tracy Foster, who directs the nonprofit Screen Sanity, collaborated with local businesses to fundraise for nearly 200 Tin Can devices for Nativity Parish School students. She organized a celebration at a local skating facility to distribute the phones. The company reports that students from this school have made calls on 29 out of the past 30 days, with the typical participant now having approximately 30 Tin Can contacts in their network.
This new community-focused program also coincides with Seattle Public Schools implementing its inaugural district-wide mobile phone policy this week. The regulations mandate that K-8 students keep phones powered off and stored throughout the entire school day, while high school students face restrictions limiting phone usage to lunch periods and class transitions.