This post is sponsored by T-Mobile.
As parents in the digital age, we all know the internet can be an amazing educational and fun experience, but it can also be a scary place for our children. It can be so hard to stay on top of monitoring all of their devices — from their smartphones and tablets to gaming systems and computers. Often, cell phone carriers don’t have parental controls that are encompassing to monitor all of it. You could control their phones, but not so much the WiFi or their gaming systems.
Data shows that children get their first cell phone by age 10, and most US families have five or more connected devices. On average, children have at least 19 hours of screen time a week, which can add up to more than 1000 hours a year. All of this leads to a majority of parents who don’t feel like they have control over their children’s online habits or screen time.
I have totally felt overwhelmed by the amount of devices my children have that I need to monitor. But, with T-Mobile‘s new FamilyMode app and Home Base, I have found it’s so much easier to do.
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FamilyMode from T-Mobile
Recently, T-Mobile unveiled a comprehensive solution to help control our children’s online activities and screen time. It’s a combination of the T-Mobile FamilyMode app and a device called the T-Mobile FamilyMode Home Base. The app allows you to control your children’s phones, and the Home Base allow you to do so much more by connecting to your router and/or WiFi to control the entire internet in your home. You can control screen time on other connected screens such as tablets, gaming systems, computers, and any other WiFi-connected devices in your home.
#1 You can control data usage on each device with the app installed. My 8 yr old will watch YouTube Kids all day and night if I let her, so I have to turn it off every day. Sometimes I feel it’s the only way to get her back to doing crafts and playing outside.
Here is my best tip for using FamilyMode — I have found that if I turn off all the devices at dinner time, I suddenly get a lot more help putting dinner on the table.
#2 It provides real-time location and monitoring.  My 8 yr old doesn’t have a phone just yet, but my teens go off to hang out with their friends. With this app, I can easily find out exactly where they are for my peace of mind. My oldest is in college, and this app lets me check on her as she’s driving that long four-hour drive home.  If you have a child who likes to wander, this will help you so much.
The best part of this is easily finding missing phones or iPads. You have no idea how often my kids misplace their phones. Now I can easily find it for them.
#3 You can easily filter web content on their phones and with the WiFi-connected devices. We still limit my 14 yr old’s gaming. I do not like him playing adult games, and this easily allows me to completely filter them out, so it’s not even a choice for him to make by himself.
It also allows me to completely remove YouTube from my 8 yr old’s devices. She goes down rabbit holes and finds new videos that I can’t easily control. She loves Roblox and watching Roblox videos, but they can be too mature for her. I feel FamilyMode really lets me keep her safe because some of those videos she’s accidentally found have scared her.
#4 You can see usage on all their devices.  I am able to see exactly how much time my 14 yr old is working on his Minecraft server on his laptop when he’s telling me he’s been practicing guitar or doing his big summer assignment for school. I can also see exactly how long my 8 yr old has been watching television when she gets up before the baby and I in the morning.
#5 You can even manage in-home devices connected to the WiFi with the FamilyMode Home Base.  I am so happy that I can manage each kid’s laptop as well as the XBox. This is really the part I love the most about FamilyMode. It’s very easy to put restrictions on their phones, but watching the computers and XBox are so hard. With FamilyMode, I’m able to easily set a time limit for my 8 yr old for the XBox without just standing there and turning it off manually. I was also able to hook up the Roku and monitor their tv-watching and turn it off when necessary.
I feel like T-Mobile has finally thought of almost everything when it comes to monitoring our kids.  The FamilyMode app and Home Base are like a game changer in our household!
How much is it?
I’ll be honest. Reading about all that T-Mobile FamilyMode offered, the first thing I worried about was how much something this all inclusive would cost, but it’s really quite affordable! For a limited time the FamilyMode Home Base device is just $20, and it’s only $10/mo for the T-Mobile FamilyMode app. New and existing customers can sign up for T-Mobile FamilyMode in T-Mobile retail stores, online, or by calling 1-800-T-MOBILE. And, you can download the app from the app store on both Android and iOS.
Adding the Home Base device is simple, you can pick one up at any T-Mobile store or call 1-800-T-MOBILE (existing customers can dial 611 from their T-Mobile phone). Then, you just follow the simple instructions. I had no idea what I was doing, and I easily hooked it up to our router and had it working on all of our devices in less than 10 minutes.
The app helps you figure it all out. It really is amazing how you can easily set limits, filter things, and set bedtimes and down times. Plus, it allows you to reward your children with extra screen time. I have never seen a parental control this easy before!
The Benefits of T-Mobile
FamilyMode isn’t the only amazing benefit. T-Mobile ONE family accounts with 2 or more lines have so many added benefits at no extra cost:
- Family Allowances – monitor talk and text usage on the lines on your T-Mobile account.
- Netflix On Us: through an exclusive partnership, get a standard 2-screen subscription at no extra charge.
- Simple Global: unlimited text and data roaming and low flat-rate calling in 140+ countries
- Mobile Without Borders: use your device in Mexico and Canada with unlimited talk, text, and data and up to 5GB of 4G LTE
- Gogo Inflight: get unlimited texting all flight long and 1 free hour of smartphone Wi-Fi on all domestic flights
- DIGITS: use up to five numbers on one device, or use one number on multiple devices
- MobileHotspot: connect all your devices to the internet with included tethering data
- Un-contract: only you have the power to change the price you pay
- Carrier Freedom: we help cover your switching costs
- T-Mobile Tuesdays: get thanked with free stuff every week just for being a customer
Learn more about FamilyMode from T-Mobile. Then, let T-Mobile help make it easier to monitor your children’s devices and get your own FamilyMode Home Base and app.
15 comments
Wow! As young as 10 years old now, huh? That is a crazy statistic but I I am not too surprised. Since they are starting so young I think it’s a great idea to keep control on what they do and what they look at with their mobile devices.
I really need to get this. I feel like it’s so hard to keep on top of screen time. I love everything about this, like the reminder about getting ready for bed and being able to control the screen time remotely.
I love that they have Family Mode! What will they come up next?
This is such a great idea! As a mum of four children I definitely need to make sure their screen time is controlled! what a fab idea!
Wow, that is a lot of great benefits for having T-Mobile. This would really come in handy with our large family.
My kids don’t have phones. It’s starting to sound crazy since “everyone”has them now. Still they do have other devices and I love being able to have some control on everything in one place.
We don’t have T-mobile but I love the idea of this. I need to make sure my girls aren’t doing anything they shouldn’t be when we aren’t looking.
This sounds perfect! I have 3 kids and one just turned 13 so I am very on top of what he goes looking for on the internet. This will make my life so much easier!
We had parental controls on our account a few years ago when our teens were younger. My youngest doesn’t have a phone at this point. He does have a kids kindle fire that he can use anytime during the summer but during the school year, we have limited access and rules.
I love all the great features especially being able to track where they are. Our kids do quite a bit of biking so it’s nice to know which park they are at.
There was nothing like this when my kids were young. I hope parents are taking full advantage of it. To much screen time is a huge problem.
This looks perfect. My boys are 8 and feeling more and more that we need parental controls on our internet.
I could have so used something like this about six years ago when we got them their first phones. Now it isn’t a problem with good teaching and rules enforcement.
I feel like our children are of the digital age. They are playing with different devices as young as the toddler years and have the responsibility of having their own as soon as the preteen years. My have times changed. But it is good to know that servicers recognize this and offer options that protect our littles.
I loved using the Digits app to see what the real plan my 14 year old was up to before he came to me with a completely different story.
Unfortunately, bc he caught on pretty quick that I was monitoring his texts, he’s started using other messaging apps I have never heard of to bypass this wonderful parenting tool. Nowadays he’s got it locked and the odds of me being able to install a new parenting app on his phone are slim. Been a loyal 20 year customer. I’m hoping something will come out to let me monitor his real time social media messages.