Whether concern over her daughter's 2 a.m. FaceTime sessions or use of a smartphone when driving, mom Lisa Mullins wondered how she could find balance between the device's positives like keeping in touch when she worked and the aforementioned negatives, according to Yahoo Parenting.
So Mullins developed ParentBlocked, an app that costs $1.99 a month, available in both the Apple and Android app stores, Jennifer O'Neill wrote for Yahoo Parenting.
"ParentBlocked allows adults to 'ground' a child's smartphone, so to speak, and to block smartphone capabilities while still allowing the teen to call or text preselected phone numbers, such as 911 or Mom and Dad," Yahoo Parenting's piece indicated.
Mullins told Yahoo Parenting of the dilemma that spurred her efforts to create ParentBlocked. Before leaving to a business meeting more than an hour from home, Mullins confiscated her daughter's phone because she used it rather than completing homework.
However, Mullins had second thoughts before departing, realizing phones make communicating with kids easier but that they need limits, the piece read.
Sheryll Alexander wrote for Communities Digital News of one of ParentBlocked's most notable features: a lock function once they exceed 10 mph when driving.
That facet makes it a life-saver, according to CDN.
"The statistics for teen texting-and-driving deaths and injuries is shocking to say the least," CDN indicated. "In a recent Automobile Club of America (AAA) poll, the data shows the staggering and preventable truth that '94 percent of teen drivers acknowledge the danger of texting and driving, but 35 percent admitted to doing it anyways.'"
CDN reported 11 teens die each day because of texting while driving, and 21 percent of teens in fatal accidents are distracted by their phones.
Mullins wasn't the only mom to create an app based on helping parents monitor kids' phone use, according to Today. Houston mom Sharon Standifird is behind the Ignore No More app, which lets parents lock children's phones if they ignore calls.
Today indicated some wonder if such applications are the right approach to parent-child conflict, but NBC News correspondent Tamron Hall "saw potential."
"I'm paying your bill and you're ignoring me," Today quoted Hall as saying. "Activate the app."
So Mullins developed ParentBlocked, an app that costs $1.99 a month, available in both the Apple and Android app stores, Jennifer O'Neill wrote for Yahoo Parenting.
"ParentBlocked allows adults to 'ground' a child's smartphone, so to speak, and to block smartphone capabilities while still allowing the teen to call or text preselected phone numbers, such as 911 or Mom and Dad," Yahoo Parenting's piece indicated.
Mullins told Yahoo Parenting of the dilemma that spurred her efforts to create ParentBlocked. Before leaving to a business meeting more than an hour from home, Mullins confiscated her daughter's phone because she used it rather than completing homework.
However, Mullins had second thoughts before departing, realizing phones make communicating with kids easier but that they need limits, the piece read.
Sheryll Alexander wrote for Communities Digital News of one of ParentBlocked's most notable features: a lock function once they exceed 10 mph when driving.
That facet makes it a life-saver, according to CDN.
"The statistics for teen texting-and-driving deaths and injuries is shocking to say the least," CDN indicated. "In a recent Automobile Club of America (AAA) poll, the data shows the staggering and preventable truth that '94 percent of teen drivers acknowledge the danger of texting and driving, but 35 percent admitted to doing it anyways.'"
CDN reported 11 teens die each day because of texting while driving, and 21 percent of teens in fatal accidents are distracted by their phones.
Mullins wasn't the only mom to create an app based on helping parents monitor kids' phone use, according to Today. Houston mom Sharon Standifird is behind the Ignore No More app, which lets parents lock children's phones if they ignore calls.
Today indicated some wonder if such applications are the right approach to parent-child conflict, but NBC News correspondent Tamron Hall "saw potential."
"I'm paying your bill and you're ignoring me," Today quoted Hall as saying. "Activate the app."