Liv McMahon & Zoe Kleinman
Technology reporter and editor
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EE is introducing new phone plans next month which it says will restrict the internet for teens – so long as they don’t use wi-fi.
Its new Sim-only mobile plans will filter the web at different levels depending on the age of the child using it, with three separate tiers of protections.
The plans will also have other features such as reduced internet speeds for younger teens to “limit streaming”, as well as protecting against scam calls.
But EE can only control what is accessed by using mobile data using its network – meaning it cannot filter content accessed via wi-fi, which is operated separately.
The mobile network operator, which has 25m customers, says it is the UK’s first major network to introduce smartphone plans for under-18s.
Firms operating mobile networks in the UK are already required by the regulator Ofcom to ensure only adults can access adult content while using their network.
They do this by filtering and blocking access to websites deemed 18+ according to the British Board of Film Classification.
This can mean attempting to visit a platform such as a porn site using a 4G or 5G connection, rather than wi-fi, can result in the page not displaying.
Users are typically required to verify that they are an adult – and the account holder – through a credit card check or by logging into their account online to change their settings.
What are the plans?
Despite EE’s content restrictions not applying to content viewed using wi-fi, the firm believes its new plans still provide teen smartphone users and parents with more protections.
Its Sim-only plans will be available for use on all smartphones and start from £7 per month, when launched in August.
EE’s three tiers offer different levels of protections depending on the age of the user, with its “protected” plan for pre-teens having “strict” controls while its “guided” and “trusted” plans for older teens having “moderate” controls for web access.
Each of the plans also has protections against receiving scam calls.
“As the UK’s best network for families, we understand that while smartphones offer many benefits to people, there are also very real risks and challenges, especially for young people,” said Claire Gillies, head of the consumer division of BT, which owns EE.
“As a parent of a teenager, I too have had to balance the benefits and challenges that come with giving our children their first smartphone.”
‘Like mum in the old days’
EE’s new mobile plans will add to the dozens of safety features at app-level, website-level and device-level designed to help parents protect their children from harmful content.
But many adults report feeling confused and overwhelmed by them.
EE ambassador and TV presenter Konnie Huq said at a launch event for the new plans she felt “like her mum in the old days” – who she recalled struggling to work the family’s TV remote controls.
Meta, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, says take-up of its numerous parental controls is relatively low.
Technology analyst Paolo Pescatore told the BBC that EE’s plans are “a huge step in the right direction” but implementation of such controls “is no easy feat”.
“Unfortunately, some users struggle to get a phone signal and are forced to rely on wi-fi,” he said.
“Making these initiatives more technology-agnostic will remove some of the complexities and make them easier to access.”
In-store chats
As well as its different plans for children, EE is offering in-store appointments for families to receive guidance about using smartphones safely.
It will also launch a resource it says can help parents navigate conversations with children about owning a phone.
“Many parents tell us that they are overwhelmed when it comes to online safety for their children, and don’t know where to start,” said Carolyn Bunting MBE, head of children’s safety charity Internet Matters.
She said they were “positive steps to support families” and told the BBC the plans could be more effective than banning teens from platforms altogether.
“If we just ban kids there is no impetus for the tech companies to create safe spaces,” she Ms Bunting.
It comes amid a broader shift towards tech companies making it more difficult for children to stumble upon harmful or explicit content.
A range of sites operating in the UK were required to start checking the age of users on Friday.
Nobody is promoting a “silver bullet” but everyone is saying that measures like these have a part to play.
The question is whether they are genuinely effective or just making parents feel better.