Verizon reminds parents: Monitor your kids’ cellphone use
BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey—As students prepare for the upcoming school year with new supplies, technology and mobile devices, Verizon Wireless reminds parents about the importance of monitoring their children’s cell phone usage and becoming familiar with safe mobile practices.
With the increasing number of young cell phone users and their expanding social network, children can be unaware of the extent of their mobile usage and vulnerability to inappropriate acquaintances and content, it said.
In an effort to assist parents and children in better managing their devices, Verizon Wireless provides a variety of useful tools such as Usage Controls, Family Locator and Content Filters to make sure families can safely talk and surf the web.
“While parents are purchasing various high-tech devices available through our powerful wireless network to help students excel in school and stay connected with family and friends, we also know it is important for parents to have tools that can help them manage their children’s mobile content and usage,” said Elva Lima, executive director of community relations and multicultural communications for Verizon Wireless.
“At Verizon Wireless, we continuously strive to provide our customers with the necessary resources to help make their lives easier and safer,” Lima said.
“With the safety tools available through Verizon Wireless, parents can have the flexibility and peace of mind knowing the whereabouts of their children during the day and relief that their children are protected from unsuitable content and entertainment on their devices,” said Lima.
Below are some tools and resources available to make sure families utilize their phones safely during the back-to-school season:
Usage Controls – Usage Controls give parents and guardians management features over voice minute and message usage allowances during a billing cycle, as well as the ability to set time restrictions on cell phone use during a certain time of day or day of week. In addition, certain numbers can be blocked or specified as trusted for incoming and outgoing calls and messages. Parents and guardians will not have to worry about unwarranted mobile usage with these simple and effective features.
Family Locator – Parents can experience comfort with the ability to locate family members anytime and anywhere. Accessible from a mobile device or the web, this feature allows parents to check in on children’s arrivals and departures from destinations such as home and school. Parents can also create scheduled updates for each family member to verify their location. Verizon Wireless also offers Family Messaging for the ability to mass message the family so they can easily stay connected.
Content Filters – Verizon Wireless has pre-defined filters such as C7+ (Children 7-years and older), T13+ (Teens 13-years and older) and YA17+ (Yound-Adults 17+ and older) that can specify music, videos and web content that is deemed safe for the respective age groups. Inappropriate content can be blocked to ensure that young mobile users can safely access the entertainment that Verizon Wireless services provide.
For more information about mobile safety resources, products and services available through Verizon Wireless or to visit a local store, call 1-800-256-4646 (1-800-2JOININ) or visit www.verizonwireless.com and www.verizonsafeguards.com.
