Cell Phone Plans for Tweens and Teens
Bzzzzzzzzzzzz—your 9 year-old just sent you a text...
We’re spotting kids as young as 7 years old with cell phones. How do you choose a plan for your child when there’s so many varying needs and options?
Do you want to ensure your child can reach you even if he or she has gone over the allotted number of minutes? Are you interested in making sure your child isn't texting under the covers until 2:00 AM?
The folks at Techlicious.com have done a superb job demystifying terms and options across plans. Here’s a taste:
Costs: prepaid vs. second line
Your first instinct may be to go pre-paid—the best way to ensure your extra-chatty teenager doesn't give you a nasty surprise at the end of the month. However, it may cost less to add a line to your existing account, depending on how your child will use the phone.
Parental controls for second lines
Adding a second line for your child on your account enables you to control how and when your child uses his or her phone. Most carriers let you cap the number of minutes, messages and entertainment downloads. Plus, restricting the days and the time of day the phone can be used can help cut down on costs while keeping your child focused on schoolwork.
Control isn't free
Most of these parental control features come at a price of $5 per month and an additional fee for location tracking. Even if you don't subscribe initially, it's good to know what options are available should the need arise.
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Looking for more details on GPS kid-tracking (really?!), plan-by-plan comparisons and more? Check out the post on Techlicious.com for more on phone plans for tweens and teens. |
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What plan did you choose and why? Tell us. |
