Verizon’s Just Kids plan helps parents keep their children within reach

Being a parent is hard enough, but in the modern age of smartphones, you also have to deal with the issue of when to get your child a phone. Thankfully, the mobile world is adapting to this challenge. On Thursday, April 4, Verizon will introduce Just Kids, the first cell phone plan created with children in mind.

While phones are great for keeping in contact, they also open your child up to a much larger world, with all the dangers that come with it — not to mention the issue of overuse and additional charges that can easily occur if a child gets carried away. The plan comes with 5GB of LTE data, as well as completely unlimited calls and texts to a nominated 20 contacts — so there’s no need to worry about a child becoming stranded after running out calls and texts, as they’ll always be able to get in contact with you or someone else they can trust.

The Just Kids plan also comes with access to Verizon’s Smart Family Premium parental controls, so you can easily limit the content your children are accessing, as well as making sure they’re not accessing inappropriate apps. The app also uses the device’s GPS to pinpoint their location on a map too, so you can be absolutely sure you know where they are at all times. Just Kids also comes with Safety Mode for mobile data turned on by default, so kids can’t accidentally go over the data allowance and incur extra charges.

The plan must be added as an additional line on an existing or new Verizon Go, Beyond, or Above Unlimited account, and costs $55 per month if it’s your second line, $45 per month if it’s your third, or $35 per month if it’s your fourth.

So with the plan sorted, all you need to do is choose a phone for them to use. While reusing an old device of your own is perfectly fine, we’ve also put together a list of the best phones for kids if you think they deserve their own. If you want to really lock that phone down tight, you can also check out our list of the best parental control apps for extra protection.