A new offering from AT&T, dubbed AT&T ScreenReady, aims to help parents better control and manage how their kids use the Internet.
A new offering from AT&T, dubbed AT&T ScreenReady, aims to help parents better control and manage how their kids use the Internet.
The genesis of the program is troubling statistics and survey results. More kids – even very young ones – have their own connected devices. At the same time, a significant portion of them are engaging in dangerous activity. To top it off, parents are not as knowledgeable about their kids’ activities as they think they are.
To help ameliorate this situation, AT&T ScreenReady offers help to parents regardless of their carrier. There are two elements. The program offers hands-on guidance on the sometimes complex mobile device parental control software. The program also offers customized tips. These tips, which are being created in conjunction with Common Sense Media, will be available on free-to-use display tablets in the carrier’s stores.
AT&T ScreenReady
“This initiative is unique because it was designed in part by our retail employees,” said Charlene Lake, the Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for AT&T. “We blended their consumer insights with research from online safety experts to develop a solution for families seeking guidance about their children’s device usage. Our employees care about this issue. While this is a new public service from AT&T, it’s a natural fit for our retail employees who are already seen as device experts in their homes and communities.”
The survey that formed the basis of the initiative polled teens, parents of teens and millennial parents of younger kids. It found that 84% of children between 3 and 7 years of age and 96% between 8 and 12 years of age have their own connected device. Ninety-eight percent of teens have devices and 85% spend three hours a day or more online.
It gets scarier. The survey found that two-thirds of teens say that they have engaged in at least one risky behavior. Fifty-seven percent said that they know how to hide content from their parents, half claimed to have experienced cyberbullying and 15% acknowledge meeting strangers online. In addition, 20% of teen girls say that they have sent sexually explicit photos.