Subway w/ kids

Husband and I are planning a trip to NYC with our four kids this summer. They will be 14, 12, 11, and 9. It's my understanding that I for sure don't need to pay for my 9 year old, correct? What about my other kids?

Logistically what is the easiest way to get everyone through? We went to London last summer and the older two kids had youth tickets but it got a bit chaotic to swipe them as they kept deactivating near our phones and eventually I was told to just let all of them come through with me. For my older kids, do I get them physical tickets? Can I use Apple Pay and just tap for each as they walk through? Also, the London tube had family specific lanes to swipe through which felt a bit less stressful knowing we weren't holding commuters up in line. Is there something similar in nyc?