Use Verizon Familybase to Limit Cellular Data Use for your Kids

Hi, everyone!  This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel. Today I'm going to talk about the controls that Verizon offers under its Familybase product and I how I use it to restrict access for my kids. 

There are truly a bewildering array of options out there to limit Internet content and usage. I use a combination of things, but one of the best investments I make is spending $5 a month for Verizon's Familybase product. 

Almost every large cellular provider has a service like this and almost every one has a similar cost. I use it for one very simple purpose -- to limit the amount of cellular data my kids can use on a monthly basis. And of course, I didn't figure this out until AFTER I had a shocking cell phone bill (or 2). 

My kids use data-hungry apps like Netflix or YouTube. They didn't have a sense of how much data that would use initially and frankly, didn't really care since they weren't paying the bill.  I really couldn't afford to handle this with just a stern talking to and strict usage rules, so I immediately looked for tech help in limiting their data. 

I signed up for Verizon's Familybase product, which I could access and manage from my regular cell phone online account.  I'm going to quickly review the features they provide:

• Activity Reporting -  Verizon keeps track of and can report on activity from each phone.  Activity means texts or calls. But remember, these have to be on the cell phone network -- so not iMessages or FaceTime over wifi. If you choose, they will send you an email when certain triggers happen: like there is activity at night or during school hours or if your kid is texting or calling a new contact or one on a specified watch list.  This is frankly of limited use to me since the kids communicate using Snapchat and iMessage mostly now. 
• Time Restrictions - you can set times for each phone where cellular and data access are off. You can also set up a Trusted Contact list of calls that will still go through even during times that access is being restricted.  I set this up for a while on my son's phone, but it ended up being more hassle than it was worth. You can also block calls or contacts, but again, it doesn't work for all communication apps, so I'm guessing your kid would figure out a way around this. 
• Usage Limits - Okay, this is the only thing I really use and again, it is totally worth the monthly fee. You CAN limit usage by number of SMS texts, call minutes and Verizon app purchases, but none of those make any sense for us. What I DO limit is data. We have a somewhat absurdly high monthly data allowance due to my husband's frequent work travel, but each kid gets 1.5 GB per month. Period. Our billing cycle starts on the 13th of the month and it always feels a little like a holiday when the kids "get their data back" on the 13th!  They really have to budget their usage throughout the month to make it last. The first couple of months, my daughter ran out in the very first day.  She's doing better now, but neither of them ever have any data on the 12th of the month.  Thus the big-time celebration the next day.

This is one of the tools that I use to keep screentime sane (and afordable) in my house.  There are no arguments about the data limits, it's just accepted. When the data goes off, the data goes off.  Even if mostly they are using screentime with wifi, with the data-hungry apps they are using, it doesn't take much to go over the limits. Also, it prohibits my son from using cellular data to get around our home wifi content filters and usage restrictions. 

I know the particulars about Verizon's offering, but my limited research shows that Sprint (My Spring Account Controls), AT&T (Smart Limits) and T-Mobile (Family Allowances) also have similar controls offered at different price points. 

I'd be interested in your experiences with this. Leave questions, experiences and thoughts in the comments section. And thanks for watching!