Scheduled Data and Texting Restriction on Account

[Ulfheonar]

  As a single parent of a teen with a cell phone, I was wondering if Telus would be willing to consider offering a feature on an account that would allow a parent to log in and set specific times as to when the phone can send a text message or access mobile Internet.

  My son often is woken up at night by friends texting him, or he stays up watching videos. I have already set the restrictions on the home Internet, however since he can simply switch over to 3G, it really doesnt help.

  I have also considered taking the phone away every night, however as it often leads to arguments, I would much rather simply set a schedule and forget it.

  I have also spoken to many other parents and have found a near universal agreement that such a feature would not only be of great assistance, it would be something we would be willing to pay a monthly to access.

  Thanks for your time and consideration in this matter,

  Jason

[xl]

If self control does not work (turn phone off? putting phone in another room?). Terminating contract would help. Note, kids today could just switch to messaging apps and use wifi.

Watching videos on 3G?  You must be a wealthy single parent to allow your child to do that.

Is the child getting A's?  As a parent, it's your duty to make sure you child does not miss out on school because of electronic distractions.  If the problem is not between the screen and floor. Then we must focus on the device.

• Facebook dad has some suggestions
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl1ujzRidmU
• Advice from Tech Richard
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_gEiU_FDxQ
• When violence is not the answer
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rofgMueCOqo&t=18s
• Not legal.
  http://online.wsj.com/articles/fcc-levels-record-fine-against-chinese-maker-of-cellphone-jammers-140...

[NFtoBC]

Have to agree with xl here. You have managed restrictions on TV watching, have or will deal with the same with cars, friends stopping by, eventually alcohol and possibly drugs. Staying up watching videos is little different than staying up reading or similar.  Heck, I did that with a flashlight!

In some fashion, *he* needs to learn to disconnect.  Does being woken up while asleep bother him? Does he miss opportunities by oversleeping? Maybe setting bounds that he accepts as help, and leading by example of putting the phone down for the night might help. Simply putting external barriers in place just encourages him to find a way around them.

Ultimately, if you are paying for the phone, as xl says, you can decide if the contract is to be continued, or the phone degraded. However, I feel it unlikely that Telus wants to manage connection to their network on a per device or per hour basis.

[Dimo-X]

Hi Jason,

Although I am personally inclined to agree with with @xl and @NFtoBC , (I know I've had my share of mischief and ways of circumventing parental control as a kid! lol) it is possible that there may be a place for such a network set feature. I'm no network engineer or software developer, but I encourage you to suggest and submit this idea at our ideas section www.telus.com/ideas 

Cheers!

[xl]

Otherwise, I wonder if there is a parental app that can disable the smartphone (like distracted driving) at certain hours of the day.  Has anyone come across such an app and tried it?

[xray]

As a parent I can sympathize with your situation. I too have considered setting access restrictions on the router for my daughter's devices.

I don't think you will find a satisfactory solution through technology. Most teens will find a way around it. Setting up these restrictions also establishes a sense of mistrust which in itself can be an issue.

We have a couple of cell phone rules in our house that everyone follows, not just my daughter. No cell phones in any bedroom, day or night. All cell phones are turned off when we go to bed.