Do you need another app on your personal devices? Probably not. But do you need another app that’s going to help you insure your family is being safe online? That’s a whole different story.

Verizon Family is a new-and-improved app that helps parents understand their kid’s tech usage and know their whereabouts, all for peace of mind.

A few cool features include:

• Safe Walk SOS, which allows users to share their location via a real-time map with emergency contacts and send them SOS emergency pings if needed

• Location monitoring, where parents can request alerts when their kids arrive at or depart a given location

• Call and text monitoring, to see who kids are talking to on their devices and when

Verizon Family comes in response to the brand’s 2024 Consumer Connections report, which found that 63 percent of parents are anxious when they don’t have immediate access to their child’s location. Makes you wonder how our parents ever let us leave the house…

Other phone services have similar parental controls and offerings, including T-Mobile’s Familymode, AT&T’s Secure Family, and Boost Mobile’s Family Guard.

There’s also Google Family Link, Instagram teen privacy defaults, and Microsoft Family Safety, among others. Essentially, these tech companies know how important digital safety is for our kids, and they’re making sure parents and children are set up for success once they get access to the internet. More of this, please!

What’s your favorite parental control app?

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