Hello Everyone,

Although I do not have any children of my own, I thought the following article, by PC Magazine’s Jamie Lendino, is something that everyone should read, parent or not.  After all, we must protect the children for our future depends upon them. 

NOTE:
You will find a link to the original article at the bottom of this post.

Enjoy,

Mark 

KEEP KIDS SAFE ON CELL PHONES

by Jamie Lendino

Here’s how to protect several popular handset models from various forms of undesirable content.

Many folks are familiar with parental control for desktop and laptop computers. With today’s operating systems, along with various software packages, parents can easily restrict content in Web browsers or control the amount of time their kids spend in front of the computer.

On cell phones, though, parental control is largely uncharted territory, even as Web-surfing capabilities become more common. Fortunately, that’s changing—and fast. Within the past year, all four major carriers have introduced new services tailored specifically for cell-phone use.

Below, I’ll step through some popular devices, grouped by carrier. Then for each one, I’ll discuss how to set up parental controls. Here’s how to get started:

Apple iPhone 3G (AT&T): On the iPhone, go to Settings | General | Restrictions. Click Enable Restrictions, and choose a four-digit passcode, which you’ll need to enter twice to confirm. From there, you can set limits on access to explicit content on iTunes, Safari, and YouTube, and allow or disable third-party-app installation.

For other AT&T cell phones, the carrier offers two kinds of parental control: Purchase Blocker, which stops kids from buying wallpaper, ringtones, and games; and Content Filter, which blocks AT&T-offered content that could be inappropriate for children or walls off access to the entire mobile Web.

BlackBerry Curve 8330, BlackBerry Storm (Verizon): As of August 2008, Verizon customers can set their kids’ phones to filter content, block certain numbers, and restrict usage—but only for an extra cost, unfortunately. The carrier offers Usage Controls, an online service that lets parents monitor voice and data usage thresholds. It’s available for $4.99 per month for each line.

Samsung Instinct (Sprint): Sprint offers several levels of parental control. Some controls can be set from the individual handset—for example, Wireless Web Access can be set so Internet access is restricted for children and teens under 17; this is in the My Account section on the phone. Subscribers can also access setting on the phone that restrict incoming and outgoing calls to only preapproved address-book entries, as well as restrict use of the camera. But most of the parental controls are toggled online via the subscriber’s account page, including the blocking text messages from certain numbers and restricting wallpaper, ringtone, and game purchases.

T-Mobile Sidekick, T-Mobile G1 (T-Mobile): Back in July 2008, T-Mobile introduced its Family Allowances program, which regulates how much each child in the household can use the phone per month. You can set limits on voice minutes, text messages, and content purchases (the usual games, ringtones, and wallpaper) via the company’s online account management. In an interesting twist, you can also add “Always Allowed” numbers that work even after call time exceeds the monthly allowance. The plan also lets you restrict the time of day the phone works and block numbers from calling or sending messages. The service costs $2 per month, and paying a single fee works for all numbers on the account—perfect for all the Sidekick users in the house.

Note: As PCMag lead analyst Sascha Segan points out, some Wi-Fi–equipped phones may still be able to access inappropriate content, since the Wi-Fi radio doesn’t pass data through the carrier’s network.

Click Here to view the original article complete with active links.