British telecommunications company EE has introduced a new service called Set Up Safe designed to help parents protect their children online. The new initiative is developed in collaboration with Internet Matter, a non-profit organization. The service works through SMS and guides parents through the process of setting up protective measures on children"s phones. The mobile operator cites its motivation for the move to be the worries of parents facing lockdown during the ongoing pandemic.
Protect children when they use their mobile with ‘Set Up Safe’:
— EE (@EE) July 28, 2020
Our new simple-to-use service gives parents control over content locking, call blocking and online safety profiles.
Just text ‘Set Up Safe’ to 150 on the child’s phone and follow the steps to get started. pic.twitter.com/LY6ya3Ih1f
EE reports that according to the surveys it conducted, with the lockdown in place many children have started to use their phones more. As a result, parents have become increasingly worried about the safety of their wards online. The British operator also reported that many parents did not put any safety measures in place simply because they did not know how to do so.
Mat Sears, the consumer corporate affairs director at EE, commented:
"While technology is now playing a bigger role in family life than ever before, we understand that online safety is just one of many things parents will be thinking about as their children start to head out with lockdown restrictions easing. By providing this new guidance and support to parents, we’re hoping to ease some of these anxieties about online safety and lighten the load, by giving parents the confidence and understanding needed to help children enjoy a safe online experience"
The new Set Up Safe SMS service from EE solves this problem for parents by offering a step-by-step guide to install protective measures on their children"s devices. All monthly users are eligible to access the free service. All they have to do is send a text to 150 with the words "Safe Set Up" from a device on EE"s network and follow the instructions. Protective features include settings such as adult content lock, spend caps, preventing charges to bill, and blocking calls and texts to premium numbers.
Those who are interested in learning more about the free Set Up Safe service can read more about it on EE"s website, where an extensive guide to using the service and a comprehensive list of its features can be found.