M1 Kidsafe – Mobile service for kids!
So have you heard about this mobile service that lets you – as a parent – keep in touch with your child, WHILE at the same time determine exactly WHO she can communicate with via her phone?
Well I just found out about it last week!
It’s called KidSAFE, and it was launched by M1 very recently!
Basically, this service lets parents heave a sigh of relief when their kids are not with them, ie. by letting them contact their kids easily, but stopping strangers from calling them.
Now I don’t know about you, but when it comes MY own two kids and their usage of today’s technology (eg. mobile phones and all sorts of other gadgets), I must say I’m rather particular about it.
I’m one who’s not into having my kids spending (more than necessary) time on gadgets, because at their current age, they can be easily, yet unnecessarily, glued to them.
I’ve often seen kids who sit together with their friends and families, side by side, but each of them is well engrossed in whatever they have in their hands. There’s no communication, no interaction with one another. Yes they are physically very close to each other, but they don’t spend time WITH each other.
And I sure want to avoid such a situation from happening in my family.
I’m one who tends to value relationships and family time, and so I naturally try my best to instill such a value in my kids too.
I prefer to see my kids interact, run around silly and SPEND TIME with family and friends who are AROUND them, rather than be engrossed and glued to whatever technology that is on their little hands at a corner somewhere (read : lack of actual social interactions)
Having said that, we do let them play with our mobile phones once in a while though, eg. They’d watch a short episode of ‘Bob the Builder’ on Wilson’s iphone. At times, Anya would use my phone’s ‘notepad’ and just play with numbers and alphabets.
For safety reasons (and unforeseen emergency situations), we’ve also taught Anya how to call us (she knows our numbers by heart) from any home or mobile phones.
I believe each family has its unique situation and needs, and KidSAFE may suit your family, and help you in keeping in touch with your kids, giving you a better peace of mind.
As for us, when Anya and Vai are older and have started going to school, extracurricular classes, and other places ALL BY THEMSELVES, then YES, we definitely will go for KidSAFE mobile service!
As parents we definitely want to be sure that Anya and Vai are okay, that they’ve reached their destination safely, that they can conveniently sms or call Mommy or Daddy when they need help or when something (good or bad) happens.
And rather than going for the usual mobile phone service, we feel KidSAFE will be a much better option for us. And mainly because we can program only selected mobile numbers on our KidSAFE phone, thus eliminating the possibility of strangers contacting our kids.
Really. When we feel that it’s time for our kids to have their own mobile phones, I would imagine that there’ll most probably be only four pre-programmed numbers on their KidSAFE phones.
Home. Mommy’s. Daddy’s. And, sibling’s.
After all, shouldn’t our technology work to our advantage and bring loved ones even closer with each other?
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[More info on KidSAFE]
– KidSAFE service is offered only by M1, but is available to everyone, regardless of their existing provider
– Special offer now : $0 for the KidSAFE phone and free subscription on M1’s Sunshare plan!
– Security measures include : 6-digit parent PIN that’s required when phone book entries or any of the KidSAFE functions need to be amended
– Parents are able to view the last 10 blocked actions (eg. details of mobile phones attempting to sms or call your KidSAFE number, and outgoing calls (and sms) attempts made on the KidSAFE number to unauthorised numbers
For all other details, please do contact M1 directly.
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Hi Sam!
Yes, our MRT and bus services here are relatively safe! Really, if I look back at how I was still so young yet I travelled here and there by public transport ‘by myself’ back then in Jakarta, I thank God for watching over me all the time!
Thankfully our local MRT or bus service should be fairly safe. I wouldn’t let them take taxi(!) unless the taxidriver is my neighbour for instance. And yeah, my kids carry handphones if they are coming home themselves. Usually by 9years, they WOULD know. With lots of coaching from you.
Mimi :
hehehe … I think most parents have gone through what you went through with Ethan (calling / sending sms to ppl).
I get that too from my friends’ kids! 🙂
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Nic :
Ya, I totally know what you mean …
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Sammi :
Hi hi!
I don’t think KidSAFE is for teenagers heheh … By the time our kids hit their teens, they’d ask a ‘normal’ one of course 🙂 especially if – as you shared – she’s travelled to another country on her own with her school! 🙂
Last time, I started taking public transport to school (and back home) all by myself when I was 9yo, in Jakarta. I still have no idea how things will be like later when my kids are 8yo – 9yo, but now that I think about my own situation back then, if I had a KidSAFE phone with me, it would’ve been a great idea! You know … just in case the ‘bajaj’ driver chose to be weird or something!
Siska :
A phone for a 9-month old baby ? hehe … may be the person who gave it thought of it as more of a toy than a real phone ? 🙂
oh btw, I don’t know if it’ll help you and JL, but I made a silly but easy to remember tune out of our phone numbers, and it really helped Anya in memorising our phone numbers! 🙂
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Priscilla :
Hi hi!!
Thanks for wishes!
Best wishes to you and your family too!!
Hah – when your kids are old enough to be going home or around by themselves, I think you would have taught them well about who they can talk to already and the dangers of strangers and such. Bc if they are moving around themselves, they can talk to *strangers* in person in public and that’s not on “kidssafe”.
I’m sure my 14yo daughter would think I’m half-crazed to restrict who she can talk to on her mobile phone! Especially when I feel it safe enough for her to go travelling to another country on her own with her school ! Surely she should have enough commonsense for me to trust her already.
I have always notice the same scenarios – when kids/teens were with their friends/families, at restaurants, MRT or anywhere that they need to stop and wait for something (eg queuing for dinner), each either hold PSP or hp and have zero interaction with one another. I often told Mike I don’t want this to happen to Will. And I secretly decided that I won’t buy him such a play thing that will suck away his childhood.
Hey, TQ 4 sharing….we’ve been with M1 for years and never heard abt this KidSAFE…..
Ethan loves to send weird or empty SMS replied to any incoming SMS from my friends (if I don’t locked the phone) and all my friends didn’t know that was Ethan’s creations…and I’m the 1 whom got scoldings from them !
Hello Leonny,
It has been a while since we last chat. Have been real busy.
Here’s to wish you & family a joyous & blessed Christmas.
ya, disini ada, keluar kira2 2 ato 3 taon yg lalu, tp ga gitu populer tuh. utk anak yg udah bisa pake mobile phn, mereka prefer the ‘real’ ones. dan wkt itu, pas anak gw baru umur bbrp bulan, salah satu anak dari mothers group gw (anaknya yah sepantaran lah dgn anak gw umurnya), dpt xmas present mobile phone yg kids safe itu. ya ampun…. ga perlu amat deh maksud gw, tuh anak baru umur 9 bln gitu loh. tau apa sih mereka dgn pake mobile phone? mau jg kasih pas mereka udah masuk umur sekolah
JL mah, gw suruh hapalin nomor telp rmh aja blm bisa…. ntar klu udah bisa, br gw ajarin pake telpon. pengenalan angka jg msh terbatas. dia cuma tau pencet angka 2, 7, 9 dan 1. knp angka2 tsb? krn itu angka utk ganti channel tv di remote control, hehehe. tp ya, good idea yah anya bisa make telpon utk hal2 yg bersifat darurat.