EE’s guide gives advice on how to talk about online safety and find plans that protect from digital risks.
Raising teenagers has never been easy, but with many young people now owning a smartphone, ensuring they’re safe in both the real and digital world can complicate matters. And, as a mum of two young boys aged four and seven, it’s a threat I’m personally all too aware of. While they won’t have phones of their own until they’re much older, they’re already fascinated by the tech their older cousins have and how they use platforms like TikTok. From cyberbullying to AI and misinformation, I’m anxious about many elements of the online world and how harmful they can be to young people. How will I help my sons navigate these issues without completely fearmongering the digital landscape?
I’m also always keen to hear what big tech companies are doing to make sure the digital world remains a safe and positive place for young people. Thankfully EE is leading the way with a number of initiatives designed to help families and parents manage their children’s wellbeing and independence when using a smartphone.
Here, we explain how – with EE’s help – you and your family can stay better connected this summer and beyond.
Get talking
About to give your child or teenager their first smartphone but aren’t sure how to approach the subject of safe phone use? That’s why EE has launched its The P.H.O.N.E. Chat initiative, in partnership with Internet Matters, to show parents how to start and sustain a constructive conversation about safe phone use following five key steps.
Prepare for the milestone moment
Giving your child their first phone can feel like a big move, and it’s natural to feel apprehensive about it. If you’re not particularly tech savvy, it can be useful to try and immerse yourself in your teen’s world and try out some of the social media platforms they’re interested in using.
This will help them feel understood and listened to when discussing this together, and allow you to make an informed decision as to whether they’re suitable or not. You should also think about the best phone plan and SIM for them and the safety features needed.
Highlight the hidden risks
While you don’t want to fearmonger, it’s important that your child understands the hidden dangers of the online world.
Speak to them openly about everything from AI image-based abuse and cyberbullying to hateful content and misinformation. This should encourage an ongoing conversation when they start using their phone.
Ownership of their digital footprint
Ensure your child understands that they will leave digital footprints and why it’s important to be mindful of what they share and how they share it.
Discuss issues such as how controversial comments on platforms such as X can affect people’s lives and careers at a later date, or how images sent privately to friends can be screenshot and shared with strangers.
How and when to use the phone
Negotiate the rules of how your child will use their phone to ensure it doesn’t impact their mental health and personal relationships.
You may want to set certain boundaries in place such as no phones in the bedroom at bedtime or no phones at the dinner table.
Keep the conversation going
Establish the importance of the need for an ongoing conversation around phone use: your child should feel like they can talk to you about anything and everything.
For example, their friends may expect them to be constantly available online and you may need to manage this expectation, or it could be about content they may have seen online that was distressing.
We’re in it together
Are other parents going through the same challenges as you? EE wants the P.H.O.N.E. Chat initiative to form a national conversation and help to build a framework that you can share among their friends and family too.
The right phone plan and SIMs
It’s impossible for even the most fastidious of parents to shield young people from every hidden danger on the internet if they’re using an adult SIM or phone plan.
That’s why EE has launched Safer Sims – dedicated teen phone plans and SIM cards that shield youngsters from content and tech features that are unsuitable. This means that you can make any smartphone age appropriate by ensuring they’re on a plan suited to their age.
With Safer SIMS, EE is the first major network to unveil new under-18s smartphone plans that support them at different stages of their digital development. The Protected Plan is for early secondary school, while the Guided Plan is for early teenage years, and the Trusted Plan is for older teens.
Unlike regular sims, EE’s teen plans put safety first and include: built-in content controls that automatically block inappropriate content and restrict access to age-inappropriate apps; scam protection through call labelling; and access to EE’s data gifting and Stay Connected Data so that young people have enough data to keep in touch, even if their allowance has run out.
Scam aware
Most of us have encountered online scams such as phishing attacks or fraudulent emails, and these are becoming ever more sophisticated. EE’s Scam Call Protect service prevents young people from clicking on hyperlinks in texts or sharing sensitive information with scammers.
Stay safe, stay connected
Smartphones can be really useful as your child starts to explore their independence, so knowing that they’re always contactable with a text or phone call can help you both feel reassured.
EE’s Stay Connected Data ensures they’ll always be able to contact you, even when they’re out of data (so you never need to worry about not being able to receive a text to pick them up).
EE’s Data Gifting function, meanwhile, also means you can hand out data like you would give them pocket money. This is a great way of managing their usage and rewarding responsible phone use.
By choosing a phone and broadband plan that works for you and your family and ensuring your teen’s phone is set up appropriately for their age group, you can feel confident and happy that they’re staying connected safely.
Don’t forget to keep the conversation open and create boundaries that offer independence and promote responsible usage.
Ready to start your own P.H.O.N.E. Chat? Explore EE’s Safer Sim plans and safety tools at ee.co.uk
Visit telegraph.co.uk/smartlife for more about EE. There’s loads of smart advice, from setting up parental controls and keeping your kids safe online to making sure you never run out of data when you need it most.