While it seems like nearly everyone owns a cell phone these days, there are still two demographics the cell-phone companies haven’t managed to get their hooks in: the old and the young. Since the elderly population remains a tough sell, cell-phone companies are working to attract young teens (ages 13-15) by offering greater control to parents.
T-Mobile recently announced the arrival of its Family Allowances service, which allows parents to give their teens an upfront monthly wireless allowance. According to T-Mobile, the goal of this service (available at an introductory rate of $2 per month) is to eliminate the possibility of surprise overages that blindside parents when the bill arrives. The feature lets parents set and change limits for minutes, messages and downloads using an Internet tool. Once an allowance is reached, that capability shuts down (for example, when a texting limit is met, messages can no longer be sent) and parents receive a notification. For emergency situations, parents can set up numbers (like home or work numbers) that can still be accessed even if a child runs out of minutes or messages. And 911 will always work on any phone. Parents also can choose to establish additional limits on the time of day a phone may be used.
And T-Mobile isn’t the only company offering this type of service – the other major players in the cell-phone field are also getting in on the act. For nearly a year, AT&T Wireless has offered customers Smart Limits, which functions similarly to T-Mobile’s Family Allowances - enabling parents limit text messages, calling minutes and downloads. The only real differences between the two services are Smart Limits costs $5 a month and allows parents to specify which hours they want to black out (T-Mobile users can only choose from pre-set blocks). Verizon Wireless will soon be getting into the mix too, with upcoming services designed to provide parents the ability to set customized minute limits and control messaging (the company already offers the ability to limit downloads). And though Sprint doesn’t offer a service designed specifically for parents just yet, they will undoubtedly jump on the bandwagon soon enough.
While these services purport to teach children responsible phone use (which they may), they also serve a larger purpose for the phone companies – increasing sales. Under the guise of limiting child cell-phone use, they are actually promoting it. The message the companies want the parents to receive is that it’s OK to get your child a cell phone because you can control it. While parents may like the idea of gaining control, the actual purpose of the services is still, first and foremost, to put phones in the hands of kids. And, in a time when adult cell phone use is reaching a peak level of obnoxiousness, that seems like a pretty scary prospect… even if it is an inevitable one.
