Keeping Tabs & Protecting Your Children & Teens Using Sprint Guardian

I remember being a teenager and how much I was on the computer and my cell phone. I don’t remember texting that often but I see how much it used now and how I want to know what people are saying. I’m sure when my kids are older I’m going to wonder as well. Sprint sent me a statistic that says that 83% of teens text at night when they should be sleeping or resting. You can set restrictions on their texting, making sure they can’t text during bedtime or school hours.

According to Pew Internet Research, 75 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45 percent in 2004. To help parents ensure their teens are using smartphones responsibly, Sprint Guardian, a collection of mobile family safety and device security bundles that provide families tools to help keep their family smartphones safe and secure. Sprint Guardian is available on many Sprint Android™-powered devices through Sprint Zone.

What you can expect:

Sprint Guardian features leading mobile applications from Safely, a division of Location Labs, and Lookout. The family safety bundle from Safely enables families to protect their phone-carrying children through location checks and limits on texting while driving or at school. The device security bundle from Lookout helps customers protect their mobile devices from loss and malware. You can set parameters for when and where your children can text and a Sprint phone can be programmed to stop calls and text messages while driving. Plus you can find your child using the location of the phone, Sprint Family Locator, that or you’ll find a lost.

Inside Sprint Guardian: Safely and Lookout

The family safety tools from Safely bring together three applications to help parents keep their kids safe and focused on what matters whether they are at home, at school or on-the-go. Sprint Mobile Controls, Sprint Drive First and Sprint Family Locator are available as a Family Safety bundle for $9.99 per month for up to five lines on the same account. It reminds me of Harry Potter and how Mrs. Weasely had the clock that told her where each of her family members were. I always want to know where my family is. Are they on the road, are they at their friend’s house or is my husband still at work?

Lookout Family enables Sprint customers to manage their phone security by protecting against identity theft and fraud, find a family member’s missing device when it is lost or stolen, and back up their precious data. Lookout Family bundle is $4.99 per month, or $49.99 per year, for up to five lines on the same account.

In addition to simplicity and convenience for families, Sprint Guardian offers significant cost savings.

I really like how easy it is to set up and use. I tested the service out on the Galaxy Victory. When your child goes above 10 MPH in the car with Sprint Drive First they can not text. They can override it but you will get a notification, so you know if they were driving you can take their phone away. As soon as they are done moving in the car the texting unlocks again. It’s a pretty cool service from Sprint.

We received sample phones to test out some of Sprint’s services.