Owning a smartphone can be liberating for young adults. It allows them to stay connected to friends, gives them the ‘cool’ factor, and teaches them responsibility. It also helps us parents breathe a little easier knowing we can reach them anytime. For those parents that have taken the step and got their child a smartphone, you must know by now that the responsibility factor is huge. Mobile devices need to be charged, they need to be maintained, and their usage needs to be carefully managed. So, how can we make sure that our children aren’t the ones racking up a $2,000 bill?
When I talk to parents of teens, I’m glad I can offer them a solution. Monitoring your mobile usage is something that can be done quite easily. This week Norton by Symantec released its latest version of Norton Mobile Utilities. The free app helps you track minutes, text messages, and even data usage to ensure that you and your children are conscious of where you stand relative to your contract limitations. It’s a great way for your kids to own this responsibility and helps them stay within their allotted minutes and bandwidth. Keep in mind, there is no age limit to use the app so it may not be a bad idea to download it for yourself too!
Lynn Hargrove is the Director of Consumer Solutions for Symantec Canada.
