EE announces a new suite of innovative smartphone services for parents and their children, as it becomes the UK’s first major network provider to unveil a range of under 18s smartphone plans, in-store appointments offering online safety support, and new digital resources to provide guidance to parents ahead of the next school year. The move follows the smartphone age guidance for parents EE announced last year, and forms part of EE’s ongoing commitment to being the UK’s best network for families.
The new initiatives come as research finds only half of parents (52%) feel they have the right tools and guidance to manage their child’s smartphone and social media usage, and four in five children (78%) admit they conceal some of their online activity from their parents. EE gathered a wealth of smartphone usage insights from the newly formed EE Youth Council, not-for-profit organisation Internet Matters, parent ambassador Konnie Huq, as well as thousands of families across the UK.
Claire Gillies, CEO at BT Group’s Consumer Division said:
“As the UK’s best network for families, we understand that while smartphones offer many benefits to people, there are also very real risks and challenges, especially for young people. As a parent of a teenager, I too have had to balance the benefits and challenges that come with giving our children their first smartphone. I am proud that EE has consistently been an industry leader for online safety and today’s announcement is yet another example of our commitment to providing helpful tools and guidance to families. Our new initiatives and resources are there for parents at every stage of their child’s adolescence, so they can safely and confidently make the choice about smartphone usage that is right for them and their family”.
EE Safer SIMs
EE is leading the way as the first major network to unveil new under 18s smartphone plans called Safer SIMs, designed to support young people at different stages of their digital development.
Launching next month, each SIM-only plan includes built-in content controls to block inappropriate content on websites when they’re on the UK’s best mobile network, scam protection through call labelling, and access to EE’s data gifting and Stay Connected Data – ensuring young people have enough data to keep in touch, even if their allowance has run out.
Safer SIMs come as 9 in 10 parents (89%) say adult content filters are a key part of any phone plan they choose for their children, along with scam protection (91%).
Available on all smartphones, the three 30-day SIM-only plans, are tiered with different levels of controls and will start from £7 per month:
- Protected Plan: Ideal for the first few years of secondary school, with strict mobile network content controls when accessing websites, unlimited calls/texts with premium numbers, 150 text services and charge to plan blocked, reduced speeds (0.5Mbps) to limit streaming, as well as scam call protect
- Guided Plan: Supports growing independence, and ideal for early teenage years with moderate mobile network content controls when accessing websites, 3GB data at 10Mbps, unlimited calls/texts with premium numbers, 150 text services and charge to plan blocked, and scam call protect. A pay-as-you-go version of the Guided Plan will also be available at launch
- Trusted Plan: Ideal for older teenagers, with moderate mobile network content controls when accessing websites, 10GB data at 100Mbps, unlimited calls/texts with premium numbers, 150 text services and charge to plan blocked, and scam call protect
In-store Appointments
Finding the right balance between the benefits tech offers and making sure young people are safe can be challenging for families, with two fifths (42%) of parents wishing there was somewhere they could go to talk about their child’s smartphone safety.
In response, EE is introducing in-store online safety appointments across the UK with expert Guides in over400 EE retail stores across the country, open to all regardless of whether they are an existing EE customer or not. Families can book a 30-minute appointment with an EE Guide to receive personalised support and practical guidance, supported by content developed in partnership with online safety experts Internet Matters. They will also be able to pick up educational materials on safe smartphone use for young people.
As well as being able to give practical advice on managing the use of all the devices in your home, the expert Guides can also help advise on the set up of a young person’s first device, whether it’s new or a hand-me-down phone. With half (48%) of 11-year-olds more likely to receive a hand-me-down device than a new one, an EE Guide can reset old devices if needed, and set up device-level controls, including Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Link to help parents manage their child’s screen time and keep them safer online.
The P.H.O.N.E Chat
EE is also launching The P.H.O.N.E Chat, a content resource created to help parents explain the responsibility of smartphone ownership. One in five parents (20%) said that having the ‘phone chat’ was a more nerve-wracking prospect than talking about drugs or the birds and the bees. This comprehensive guide has been carefully designed with Internet Matters, children, and their parents, to aid conversations about owning a phone, and includes details of how to talk about using their first handset. The P.H.O.N.E Chat will be available immediately online, and in-store in the coming weeks.
The P.H.O.N.E chat comes in addition to PhoneSmart, the free and interactive course from EE for parents and children to help them explore the world of smartphones in an accessible and safe way.
Carolyn Bunting MBE, Co-CEO at Internet Matters said:
“Many parents tell us that they are overwhelmed when it comes to online safety for their children, and don’t know where to start. We also know that parents find it awkward to talk about it with their children. We are delighted to be supporting EE with these innovative new initiatives; both offering parents in-person help to get their family’s devices set up safely for the new school year and beyond and supporting parents to have those difficult but important conversations. The expert EE Guides in-store are equipped to advise on parental controls, screentime, online security and more, and P.H.O.N.E chat will signpost families to EE and Internet Matters resources on a wide range of other topics for parents to access from home. These initiatives from EE are positive steps to support families as the digital world continues to evolve and play an ever-increasing role in children’s lives”.
EE Youth Council
Finally, supporting these initiatives is a new EE Youth Council, established to put the perspectives of young people at the heart of EE’s offerings. Nearly half (45%) of secondary school-age children say they turn to their friends with questions about safety on their smartphone and social media, the second-most popular source of advice, just behind their parents or carers (56%). Comprised of a group of young people at secondary school and led by ambassador, parent and former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq, the Council will convene regularly to debate safe phone use for young people, with their insights helping to inform EE’s products, propositions and guidance.
Belicia, EE Youth Council member, said:
“As a 15-year-old who has had access to a smartphone for a while now, I really love how being part of the digital world has given me the chance to express myself and discover new hobbies and interests. On the other hand, having that access means I have seen the dangers of being online, including cyberbullying and hacking. That’s why I wanted to join EE’s Youth Council to help parents see the world through their children’s eyes and hopefully play my part in making the online world a safer place”.
Availability
The P.H.O.N.E Chat guidance is available at ee.co.uk/ee-phone-chat. The Safer SIMs plans and in-store online safety appointments will launch in August.
