Verizon Helps You Keep Your Kids Safe

Technology changes so quick. Everyday there are thousands of new applications uploaded into app stores. With all those changes it is challenging to keep up and keep our kids safe. I am so glad cell phone companies can help us.

Last week I had a fun and educational lunch with the Verizon team and Stephen Balkam, the founder and CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI). During the delicious lunch held at Esters Wine Shop in Santa Monica, we were able to learn some tricks to keep our kids safe online.

This is a topic that is very important to me. You might already know my 13 year old started classes at the local College. We are not ready for him to have a cell phone yet, but we know he needs to be able to communicate with us in case of an emergency. Some of the things we learned during the lunch are going to help our family stay connected while safe.

Verizon and its Verizon Smart Family app let you know where your kids are by tracking their device. It also allows you to limit what they see on their devices by setting content filters. You can also pause the internet. You read that right. You can pause the internet, which means that the device will not be able to connect to any signal even another WiFi network near by. 

Stephen Balkam talked to us about the ​7 Steps To Good Digital Parenting. What a great conversation that was. Here are his 7 steps

1. Talk with your kids 
   
2. Educate yourself
   
3. Use parental controls
   
4. Set ground rules & apply sanctions
   
5. Friend and follow, but don’t stalk
6. Explore, share and celebrate
   
7. Be a good digital role model ​

So, I told you we are not ready for our son to have a cell phone but he needs to communicate with us. We got the perfect tool for this. We got one of the GizmoPal 2 by LG, a wearable watch that allows you to track the location of your kid as well as call them. Stay connected to your child with two–way voice calling. GizmoPal 2 supports up to four contacts. Picking up your kid is now easy; with the push of a button they can tell you when they’re ready to go.

GizmoPal 2 by LG