Advice please on restricting calls and texts on child's mobile phone

[CAR0LAnn]

Can anyone advise me - I plan to give my 10 year old a SIM-only mobile phone without internet access (though I know with WiFi presents challenges here). Does anyone know a Parental Control package that does more than let you know the phone numbers the child has phoned/texted and what credit they have used?

What I am looking for (surely lots of mums would be interested too) is one that:

• limits time of use for texts/calls e.g. so cannot use at night/in school
• blocks specific numbers e.g a bully's, so she could not receive or send txts or calls from them
• allows me to read any txt messages
• does not allow her to use numbers unless I have approved and added them beforehand

(One that gives a GPRS device would be good too).

I cannot believe how hard it is to find a package that offers these. I am so appalled at what our kids are faced with today - too many challenges making many vulnerable, not enough maturity to cope with them .

1 - she shouldn't have phone in school, take it off her at night.

2 - keep an eye on the phone and tell her to show you any nasty texts so you can deal with them, tell her not to respond.

3 - Just check her phone, tell her not to delete any messages.

4 - Again, check her phone, and tell her not to dish out her number to people, if she gets a text or call from a number that she doesn't know, get her to come to you with it first.

You don't need a phone package, you need to be a responsible parent who doesn't rely on technology to do your job for you.

If you don't feel she is mature enough for a phone, don't let her have one.

Thanks - I think those are good guidelines. I've seen children become victims of cyberbullying and of getting addicted to their phone in families where parent input is careful and responsive, and so it left me concerned about whether as a responsible parent, I should look into this more deeply.

My reseach led me to find that several Parental Control Apps exist in Google Play Store that monitor/control texts/calls as well as internet - really good news for this concerned mum. Some restrict times the phone can work so it can be blocked automatically in school time and late evening/night, others you can monitor text messges where you have a concern. I settled for a marvellous-looking one called MyMobileWatchdog and am starting a month's trial. It comes FBI recommended, thoroughly approved, and has been around since 2006. Why don't more of us know about these apps???