In this digital age, most of the kids use smartphones to stay in touch with family or friends, to help with school work, and many more. That’s why teenage cell phone contracts (dealing with kids about phone usage ) have become crucial. However, still balancing screen time and monitoring safety can be quite difficult for guardians.
Thus, knowing how phone contracts function for setting boundaries, avoiding unexpected obstacles, and ensuring responsible usage is critical. So, keep reading this blog as we’ll discuss in detail what the teenage cell phone contract is, its types, components, and parental tips.
What is a teenage cell phone contract?
“A Teenage cell phone contract is a basic understanding between you and your parents about your phone usage.”
This includes your service plan, your device, and your obligations. However, it also entails parental controls when it comes to minors under the age of eighteen.
❖Key components:
- Service plan: Defines your phone usage such as calls, texts and data.
- Device cost: Are your parents buying the phone or do you have to chip in? If you lose or damage the device, paying for the repair is a strong possibility.
- Responsibilities: You promise to use the phone responsibly, such as not using it while driving, and abide by any screen time limits put in place.
Service plans
Once you acquire a phone, a service plan would be necessary to call, send texts, or browse the internet. Here are the three primary types of plans along with their benefits:
How it Works
| How it Works | Benefits | |
| Prepaid | You will pay before use. | No unexpected bills, full control over your spending. |
| Postpaid | Use first and pay at the end of the month. | No need to refill and has access to more features. |
| Family Plan | Your phone is part of a family account, and all users share data and minutes. | Less expensive and parental controls. |
Parental consent
As your kids are still minors, a parent or guardian needs to be present to sign a phone contract. This is essential because of the following reasons:
- Legal implications: When your parents sign the contract, they also agree to pay the bills. This suggests that if you simply exceed your data limit by being the careless user you are, or decide to buy extra apps and do numerous other things. Then they will have to pay out of their pocket. Moreover, the contract has a duration which means they can’t just walk away from it without a penalty fee.
- Parental control integration: Additionally, to assist kids in staying focused, it is possible that being a parent you would want to install parental control apps. This app gives your parents peace of mind as they can control your mobile usage by setting screen time limits, location tracking and safe browsing of the Internet.
Device costs
Moreover, deciding how to pay for a phone can be a major task. The cost can be included in your contract and paid through what is called outright purchase or financing options.
How it Works
| How it Works | Pros | Cons | |
| Outright Purchase | Full payment is made by you or your parents. | No monthly payments.Cheaper in the long run.The phone is fully yours | Expensive at first, and requires a big payment all at once |
| Financing | Payment is split into smaller payments over time. | Easier to afford a better phone. Cost is spread out. | Payment plans are on the expensive side, having to be locked in for months or years at a time. |
❖Importance of budgeting
You have to do some budgeting if your contract has monthly payments, which can go a long way. The reason is that a wise budget alleviates the financial burden. Thus, leading to parents trusting you to make more advanced financial decisions. Ultimately, advanced planning gives you power.
Parental controls and limits
It’s a fact that parents might feel stressed if kids start using smartphones. This is because, if the internet is good on one side then it has dark sides too. For instance, kids may become prays to cybercrimes and will also become screen addicts which badly impacts their physical and mental health.
Thus, parental controls come in handy. Some mobile carriers have built-in parental control settings. These allow parents to restrict their screen time, restrict access to inappropriate sites, and observe their whereabouts Moreover, parents can control who can communicate with them due to possible dangers.
However, there are many limitations to these built-in parental control features. For instance; the majority do not cover social media or other frequently used applications. Don’t worry; If you and your parents desire a more sophisticated solution, you should consider FlashGet Kids, which is a third-party parental control software. Let’s see its features!
❖Bonus Tip: FlashGet Kids parental control app
- Screen mirroring: It allows you to screen mirror kids’ devices with your phone. Thus you can see live what your kids are doing.
- Daily usage report: You can also check which type of applications your kids have used and how much time you have spent on them.
- Screen time: You can also set time restrictions not only on mobile phones but also on individual apps including social media apps.
- Location tracking and geofencing: You can track the location of your kids. Moreover, you can set time-specific time zones and if kids cross the boundaries, you get instant alerts.
- Content filtering: You can also filter out inappropriate content.
Unlock more features, offer your family extra protection
Termination clause
Every phone contract comes with rules that you are expected to follow. Neglecting to do so might lead your parents to end the contract prematurely. That is known as the termination clause.
❖Reasons your contract could be terminated
- Your kid breaches the data limit and subsequently causes unusually high expenses.
- Your kid abuses the phone by providing unrestricted access, such as texting in class or allowing the use of unsafe applications.
- Your kid does not comply with policies they put in place, such as time limits on usage.
What is the minimum age for a cell phone contract?
If kids are under 18, it’s not possible to sign a contract for a phone because it is a legal document. But keep in mind it is still possible for kids to have a phone! So, you can sign the contract on your behalf and register the phone under your name.
❖Guidelines for parents: Is your teen ready?
Regarding getting a contract, parents should ask themselves the following questions:
- If your kid already follows your house rules and respects screen time.
- If your kid also saves money for things, then you might be ready to help with phone costs too.
- Moreover, if your kids know how to protect sensitive information, then you will give them more freedom.
Do teenage cell phone contracts have parental controls?
Yes! A lot of mobile providers already have parental controls integrated to assist your parents in monitoring your phone use. Still, these controls are inadequate hence the reason some parents utilize third-party apps for better supervision.
❖Carrier-based parental controls
Some providers like T-Mobile FamilyMode, Verizon Smart Family, and AT&T Secure Family allow your parents to control the phone usage time so that you do not spend too much time on your phone. Moreover, they also restrict access to particular dangerous websites. Apart from this, parents can also monitor your location to ensure you are in a safe place.
❖The importance of parental control apps
The carrier controls often do not give parents visibility over your app usage, messaging or social media activity. So parents have to head over the third-party parental control solutions. However, FlashGet Kids is one of those parental control software which offers greater options with real-time alerts to parents looking for ways to keep their children safer online.
Who signs the contract?
When kids are below the age of 18, they cannot sign a phone contract by themselves. A parent or guardian needs to sign for you because a contract is a legal document. That implies they take responsibility for the bill and ensure that you follow the provided guidelines.
➔Responsibility matters
When you accept the contract, you become responsible for the phone and its related services. However, if your kids violate the contract rules, such as going overboard with data usage, making costly phone calls, or other types of misuse. Then you might have to pay some added charges. Sometimes, parents might even disable your phone!
➔Parental role in management
Since parents hold the contract requirements, they must ensure that the child adheres to the specified rules. So, being a parent you can do the following things;
- Clearly define the parameters of screen time, as well as apps and social media use.
- Make use of electronic parental controls to monitor your activity and ensure your protection.
- Take daily review sessions to confirm that you are following the set rules and regulations.
Types of service plans for teenagers
A service plan allows you to make calls, send text messages and use the internet once you acquire a phone. However, plans differ in type and each type has its advantages as well as disadvantages. Thus, choosing the specific plan depends on your requirements and your budget. So, let’s have a look at each type;
➔Prepaid vs. Postpaid
| How it works | Pros | Cons | |
| Prepaid | You pay before you begin to make use of the services. | No contracts.No unwanted fees. | Limited data or minutes |
| Postpaid | You make use of the service and billed monthly. | Comes with multiple features and often unlimited options. | Requires a contract and you must pay bill on time. |
➔Family Plans
Moreover, you know at least four family members can share the same plan under a family plan. This form of plan can save you and your family a lot of money because the overall expense is split. Moreover, there is a great possibility that your parents may elect this plan to keep everything in a single bill. Additionally, parental controls can also let your parents keep an eye on your usage.
➔Unlimited vs Limited Plans
| Plan type | Best for |
| Unlimited | Suitable for anyone who streams a lot of videos, plays games, and heavily uses social media. |
| Limited | For a cheaper option, you can use less data. However, this requires stricter tracking of your data usage. |
➔Add-ons and extras
Some plans allow for updating specific features such as:
- International calling for talking to family and friends who live overseas.
- Add on data if you exhaust your cap before the billing cycle ends.
- Hotspot access enables you to share your phone’s data with other devices.
Tips for parents: Navigating teenage cell phone contracts
A smartphone has its conveniences, but it comes with a greater set of responsibilities That’s why here I’m sharing with you some useful tips enabling parents to monitor their kids’ phone contracts!
✔️Open communication: First, the best thing is that your parents must be frank with their kids. So, they would trust them and discuss everything without any fear.
✔️Establishing boundaries: Keep in mind that every phone contract should come with restrictions and regulations. So, parents can decide when and where to allow kids to use phones ( no late-night texting, no use at the dinner table). Moreover, you have to tell your kids what type of apps they can download.
✔️Using parental controls: Apart from these, parents will feel more at ease if they use apps like FlashGet Kids. The reason is that it acts as a virtual assistant for your kids to keep you updated about your kid’s digital activities.
Bonus: What phone plans have parental controls?
If you and your parents would like to monitor phone use, some cellular plans come with parental controls. So, consider the following phone options:
| Phone Plan | Parental Control Features |
| T-Mobile Family Mode | Set app time limits, pause the internet, and track geo-location. |
| ParentShield | Control screen time, and monitor app usage. |
| EE & Tesco Mobile | Block harmful content, and provide online safety tools. |
| Google Fi Wireless | Monitor app use, and geo trackers, and promote responsible actions while the phone is in use. |
FlashGet Kids: More control for you and your parents
Although the above-mentioned plans work. But using FlashGet Kids alongside, allows parents to control kids’ screen time, geo-location, and phone activity. Thus, providing a safe and healthier digital environment for teens.
FAQs
Most carriers do not allow this, and thus you can get this if you are over the age of 18 years. However, you may receive a mobile phone under your parent’s plan, they will control the payments and conditions of the contract.
Typically, if your teen goes over the data limit, then you would have to pay extra fees. To mitigate any surprises, it is advisable to monitor usage.
Indeed. Some providers allow for limited spending contracts with options of parental control which are great for teenagers. These contracts are ideal for children while giving parents the security they need. So, make sure to look and compare the different options available to find the best for you.
