Zact Mobile Report: Navigating Children's Smartphone Use

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Zact, the industry's first smart mobile service provider, today released details from a recent U.S. consumer survey looking at some of the hot topics and concerns parents are facing when it comes to mobile technology and their children. In particular, the survey revealed insights about parents' views of children's use of smartphones. Zact commissioned the survey with USamp among a parenting panel of 1,020 respondents in the U.S. Highlights are below along with an infographic. 

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Smartphones prevalent in U.S. households

• 64% of families have between 3 and 6 mobile devices in their household
• Nearly half of children in the U.S. have a smartphone
• 58% of parents allow their child 1 to 4 hours of screen time on their smart device per day

Pricing and service woes

• 75% of parents are very concerned with the cost of the phone and plan
• Nearly half of parents are frustrated by the cost of adding family members
• Over 40% of parents frustrated by length of service contracts
• Over 40% of parents frustrated about paying for standard plans vs. only what they use

Deep concerns about privacy, safety and overuse

• 73% of parents are concerned about the lack of parental controls of their kids' mobile phones
• 78% of parents are concerned about online safety using mobile phones
• 64% of parents are concerned about the amount of time their children spend texting
• 79% of parents are concerned about being unsure who contacts their children
• Over three quarters of parents agree that legislation has not kept up the changes in the mobile phone industry regarding protecting minors

Given more control, parents are willing to introduce smartphones to their children

• Two thirds of parents feel their child is old enough for their own mobile device
• If the device included parental controls, 62% of parents feel the ideal age to give a child a smartphone is 13 or younger
• Over 90% of parents rate the ability to limit access to certain apps, block contacts, detect geolocation, and limit texting and web access as important when considering introducing a smartphone to a child
• 26% of parents have used screen time as a reward;  51% have considered it

"In today's world, parents often struggle with how best to introduce new technology to their children and at what age to do so," said Anna Fieler, Chief Marketing Officer, Zact.  "In regards to smartphones, the data from this survey demonstrates the desire for highly customizable plans offering in-depth parental control options, like Zact, that can provide greater affordability and security for families."

The Zact service is available in the U.S. and runs on the Sprint Nationwide Network with 4G/LTE coverage. With Zact, customers can easily and quickly select almost any increment of voice, text and data independently of one another.  Plans are adjustable right from Zact enabled devices. There's no need to worry about unused minutes or data with Zact's Never Overpay Guarantee since money is credited back to a user's account if they've bought too much.  With Zact, any plan is sharable – there is no limit to the number of Zact-enabled devices that can be added to an account.  Outside of a nominal $4.99 line charge per each device, there are no additional fees and no need to buy a separate plan.  In addition, built-in parental controls let users easily set curfews, and restrict apps, browsing and contacts on a child's phone.

For more information or to place an order visit Zact.com.

About ItsOn

ItsOn was formed by world leading pioneers in the wireless field to fundamentally change how mobile services are delivered and consumed. ItsOn created the Smart Services™ revolution four years ago with a cloud-based software solution to help mobile service providers enhance their network by enabling more flexible and dynamic service delivery options.  ItsOn introduced its direct to consumer service, Zact, to create the industry's first smart wireless service with direct control and flexibility right on the device.  The company is privately-held and headquartered in Redwood City, and is funded by Andreessen Horowitz, Ag Investors, SV Angel, Verizon, Vodafone, and Best Buy. For more information, please visit www.itsoninc.com.

SOURCE Zact