Walt Disney Co. will announce a phone service designed for 10- to 15-year-olds and their parents, dubbed Disney Mobile, at the CTIA Wireless trade show.
The features of this service are mostly about letting parents monitor and control how their children use the service, and the main ideas are:
– A parent is the designated “family manager,” able to set monthly spending limits (via the phone or a computer) on kids’ voice and text message usage and on ringtone and other downloads. The manager is alerted when a kid bumps the limits and can raise them. When kids exhaust their allowances, they still can exchange calls with their parents and other designated numbers and can dial 911.
– Parents can set the times and days of the week when kids can use the phone.
– GPS technology will let parents map the location of the kids’ handsets from their phone or PC.
– Families can exchange custom text alerts or pick from a menu, such as “Can U Get a Ride?”
Disney plans to offer two camera phones, from LG Electronics and Pantech. Unlike some other Disney electronics, such as PCs with Mickey Mouse ears for speakers, the cellphones will look rather conventional.
Well, I think that this is a good solution for parents who want to give their children phones in order to stay connected with them and make sure they’re safe and doing well, without letting the kids abuse it and overuse the phone.
I’m seeing a lot of people in Tunisia who are starting to get their kids mobile phones, even though I’m not sure they’re all doing it for the right reasons. And I think a service like this would be good for them to get the most benefits of their kid having a phone without falling into the negativities of it.
[Source: USA Today]