AT&T Smart Limits has announced a series of comprehensive Web and mobile parental controls, merging parental control features for wireless, wireline, high-speed Internet access, and video services into one portal for AT&T and affiliate company products.
"With AT&T Smart Limits, we are giving our customers an intuitive, easy-to-use way of learning how to manage this content and decide what is appropriate for their families, especially their children," said Randall Stephenson, AT&T's chief operating officer. "A torrent of information and entertainment comes at us every day from wireless phones and wired phones, from the Internet and from TV."
Each parental control has its own name and series of individual features. Wireless Smart restricts mobile phone access to certain websites, the purchase of premium subscriptions, downloads, games, ring tones and graphics.
Surf Smart locates tools to block websites containing inappropriate and/or mature content, while AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet and Dial members receive a parental controls package, which lets parents filter content and customize security settings for each child.
Watch Smart deals with a family’s TV-viewing experience. AT&T video parental controls allow customers to do things such as filter movie or TV ratings and block channels predicated on ratings. With Talk Smart, parents have the means to protect their children from pranksters and unwanted callers. This AT&T home-phone calling feature gives parents a variety of options, including the ability to manage calls received, stop unidentified callers, and/or block 900/976 numbers.
"Parental controls are a partnership between parents and technology providers. Many responsible companies are doing their part, offering parental control options," said Rick Louis, manager of communications and government affairs for the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection. "But, more parents need to get involved, too. Real online child safety begins when parents make active choices about their kids’ Internet and wireless access, and communicate with their kids about those choices."
