Verizon Wireless offers new parental control features

Mimicking a recent move by rival T-Mobile USA Inc., Verizon Wireless is now offering “more-control” options for parents. Verizon Wireless’ new service, dubbed “Usage Controls,” acts as an online tool that allows customers to set limits on their children’s minutes and text messages, outline time-of-day restrictions and create lists of “trusted” and “blocked” numbers – therefore avoiding unexpected overages and costs.
T-Mobile USA launched “Family Allowances”, a nearly identical option, a few weeks ago. VZW’s Usage Controls will run an extra $5 a month. T-Mobile’s Family Allowances starts at $2 a month.
For parents who want even more control, for an extra $10 each month Verizon Wireless is offering its location-based Chaperone 2.0. The service offers the ability to locate multiple devices at the same time; family SMS messaging, which allows a text to be sent from a parent to one or more children at once; Child Zones, which uses the carrier’s VZ Navigator to access turn-by-turn directions to a child’s exact location; and an updated Chaperone Web site.