A pair of new sunglasses is often a sure-fire sign sunnier weather is on the way, whether you’re packing up for a holiday or giving the morning walk to school a summer update, for both you and your offspring. But it’s not just about accessorising, as much as adults need to consider their eyewear, children do too.
We all want to encourage children to spend more time outdoors, but, akin to the importance of sun cream, eye safety is serious business. And sunglasses are here to help, with lenses offering protection against UV rays. Giles Edmonds, Specsavers’ clinical services director, explains that sunglasses aren’t exclusively for blaring sunshine. “Even on cloudy days, our children’s eyes can be exposed to UV radiation,” he explains.
Without getting deeply technical, sunglasses protection levels vary, so are divided up into four filter categories. Category three lenses provide UV protection of up to the 400-nanometre wavelength, the high end of the UV spectrum, only being topped by category four, which is advised for skiing activities, as it lets in less than eight per cent of UV light. But when purchasing a pair of everyday sunglasses for your child, it’s important to look out for category three or UV400 markings.
“For the best protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, a relatively large yet close-fitting frame is the best design for children’s sunglasses,” suggests Edmonds. “Make sure they cover a good portion of the eyes and look for durable features such as flexible hinges.”
Fortunately for young fashionistas, style doesn’t have to be compromised. There’s a whole range of shades that’ll go beyond protecting young peepers, they’ll become a sizzling summer accessory, too.
How we tested
Heading out to chase the sun, were our four-, six- and 13-year-old testers, armed with a selection of sunglasses. All of the sunglasses we tested comply with UV400 protection, so we knew that safety was adhered to, but there was still plenty to scrutinise.
A main factor for kids has to be comfort – it can be difficult to keep sunglasses on little faces because children’s noses aren’t fully formed yet and don’t have bridges. The bridge length only becomes fully mature in males at 15 years and fully mature in females at 12 years.
We took a close look at the shape of the sunglasses and how flexible the frames were, to suit different face sizes. Lenses were considered too, while ordinary lenses darken the view, polarising ones block irritating glares, so this feature scored highly. The sunglasses had to appeal to the kids wearing them, so style was a big one, but practicality wasn’t overlooked – kids are heavy-handed and we wanted the sunglasses to be robust and up for the challenge.
The best kids’ sunglasses for 2023 are:
- Best overall kids’ sunglasses – Roald Dahl Fantastic Mr Fox RD 014 (C1) children’s sunglasses: £20, Visionexpress.com
- Best value for money kids’ sunglasses – Kidly Label classic sustainable sunglasses: £11.50, Kidly.co.uk
- Best kids’ sunglasses for durability – Babiators original keyhole sunglasses: £25, Babiators-uk.com
- Best robust kids’ sunglasses – Suneez bossa sunglasses: £25, Suneez.com
- Best designer kids’ sunglasses – Ray-Ban juniors RJ 9547S (223/71) children's sunglasses: £77, Visionexpress.com