COLUMBIA, Mo., (July 9, 2013) – As more children begin getting their first mobile phones, parents are challenged with ensuring their kids are using their phones responsibly, courteously and safely. To make this milestone easier on both parents and kids, U.S. Cellular (NYSE: USM) has developed a Parent-Child Agreement that can guide the conversations parents and children have about cell phone usage.
The Parent-Child Agreement was developed in response to data from U.S. Cellular’s Better Moments online survey¹, which found that half of U.S. Cellular customers with children say their kids currently own mobile phones. In addition, while 91 percent of parents set mobile phone usage guidelines for their children, 63 percent indicated they would find it helpful to have an agreement to guide their ability to supervise children’s usage and behavior with mobile devices. Available for download at www.ChildPhoneAgreement.com, the agreement is customizable so that families can make it work for their specific needs.
“Giving a child their first cell phone is a big step for any parent and we want to provide families with the tools they need to make the decision as smooth as possible,” said Nathan Waddell, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Missouri. “Mobile devices help parents and children stay connected and can enhance time spent as a family. The Parent-Child Agreement is an easy way to set some ground rules that everyone can agree on.”
While the agreement includes suggestions on safety and etiquette, parents also have the opportunity to create their own guidelines that focus on creating Better Moments with their families. Examples may include watching videos together on YouTube or sending fun picture messages and video chatting while away on travel. The intention is to make the agreement work for each individual family.
U.S. Cellular is also offering free Device Workshops in July that are focused on helping families make the decision of when to get children their first phone along with ways that mobile phones can help families stay connected and strengthen relationships. At the workshops, U.S. Cellular associates will offer families tips on setting phone guidelines and the share suggestions to help with the decision of getting their child their first cell phone. For a list of Device Workshops, visit uscellular.com/events.
¹ Between April 1-5, 2013, a total of 527 online interviews were conducted among U.S. Cellular postpaid customers by Consumer Insights, in partnership with Directions Research Inc.
About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular rewards its customers with unmatched benefits and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier has a strong line-up of cutting-edge devices that are all backed by its high-speed network that has the highest call quality of any national carrier. Currently, 61 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds and 87 percent will have access by the end of 2013. U.S. Cellular was named a J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Champion in 2012 for the second year in a row. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.
For more information, contact:
Sara Randolph, The Hauser Group. 314.436.9090
Kelly Harfoot, Media Relations, U.S. Cellular, 773-355-3697