The new Helium Mobile Kids Plan provides parents and guardians full control over kids’ online activities.
The plan, which costs $5 per month, does not collect anonymized location data. This increases network coverage and ensures compliance with data privacy standards specific to minors, according to the company’s announcement.
The new Helium Mobile plan includes 3GB of data and unlimited talk and text. The press release says that parents or guardians approve and manage everything, including data limits and Cloud Store rewards. The latter can be used to purchase gift cards to top brands.
“The Helium Mobile Kids Plan is about flexibility, safety, and affordability, without compromising connection,” Coco Tang, the general manager of Helium Mobile subscribers, said in the announcement of the new service. “We know families are balancing a lot, so we created a plan that gives kids their first phone line and keeps parents firmly in the driver’s seat, while still giving kids the freedom to text a friend or call grandma.”
The Helium Network uses fixed wireless and hotspots to eliminate expansive last-mile wireless infrastructure. The assumption is software already in the last mile eliminates the need for expensive gear from the service provider.
The announcement of the Helium Mobile Kids Plan cites findings from Common Sense Media — an organization that rates media and technology to protect children — that 51% of children under age nine have a mobile device.
This points to the need for tight control, which the plan provides by making the parent or guardian the plan’s group administrator. They manage accounts, set boundaries, approve usage and monitor data directly from their phones.
When upgrades to the Helium Mobile Kids Plan are needed — perhaps when the child’s demands grow — parents or guardians retain full control over the plan.
Helium Mobile made two other service introductions earlier this year. The Zero plan is, as the name implies, is free. The company also introduced Cloud Points, a program in which subscribers earn points by allowing anonymized location sharing, referrals and surveys. The points can be redeemed for gift cards.
