Keeping families connected and protected in a digital world
Verizon is empowering parents and caregivers with tools that help keep your family safe and provide peace of mind.
Why it's important: As families navigate an increasingly digital world, creating healthy relationships with technology is more critical than ever.
Today, parents have a lot more to monitor. The average Verizon internet household now has 18 connected devices, according to Verizon's 2024 Consumer Connections Report.
Plus, parents are increasingly concerned about safety. About 63% of parents feel anxious when they don't have immediate access to their child's location, according to a recent Verizon survey.
The solution: Verizon Family is a game-changer for digital safety. It offers innovative tools to keep loved ones connected and protected — all from one app.
Verizon Family provides essential safety features for caregivers, including:
Safe Walk with SOS: Provides real-time location sharing to emergency contacts for added security.
Location monitoring: Allows caregivers to monitor their dependents' whereabouts and set alerts for arrivals and departures.
Call and text monitoring: Helps caregivers foster open communication by providing insights into calls and texts made over the Verizon network.
The positive news: Verizon Family is already helping parents take proactive steps to help safeguard digital experiences. According to 2024 Verizon's Consumer Connections Report:
62% of parents and other caregivers used filters to block objectionable content.
54% of parents and other caregivers restricted access to certain social media apps.
Worth a mention: Verizon also offers a range of tools aimed at promoting online safety and responsible technology use, including the Gizmo Watch line of kids' smartwatches.
Parents and other caregivers make an average of 3.3 million calls per month to children wearing Gizmo watches, underscoring the importance of safe, reliable communication.
Okay, but: Digital safety isn't just a priority for children — it's essential for vulnerable adults, too. Older adults are increasingly at risk in a more connected world.
Nearly 3 in 4 individuals over 50 report being targeted for cybercrimes, according to AARP.
And in 2023 alone, Americans over 60 lost $3.4 billion to online scams — with an average victim losing over $33,000 — according to the FBI.
That's why Verizon will extend its upcoming digital wellness initiatives to seniors and their caregivers, helping ensure they have the tools to navigate technology securely.
The details: Verizon is expanding its commitment to digital wellness, equipping youth, parents, caregivers and older adults with the skills to navigate technology responsibly.
Beyond connectivity, Verizon is focused on fostering a healthy relationship with digital tools through free, expert-backed programs.
For K-12 educators and students: Verizon is partnering with Discovery Education to provide digital citizenship resources to schools.
Verizon is also conducting a research study with Sesame Workshop and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center focused on children's digital wellness, to guide the creation of future digital wellness programs for kids.
For parents and caregivers: Verizon will offer free training on fostering healthy digital habits in partnership with My Digital TAT2.
For older adults: Verizon will provide digital literacy resources and cybersecurity training in partnership with Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), from AARP.
Parents can also get free tips, advice and research-based strategies from the experts to navigate the digital world at verizon.com/parenting.
By providing practical knowledge and best practices, Verizon is helping to ensure that people of all ages can use technology with confidence and awareness.
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Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Do Not Answer These Calls — Google Issues New Smartphone Warning
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CNET
2 days ago
- CNET
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Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business Insider
T-Mobile review: Packed with perks, but is it worth the price?
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If you've been reconsidering your home internet options lately, you'll get extra savings on T-Mobile's internet packages if you're on one of these plans. We're testing one of their 5G home internet plans right now and will have a review soon - it's pretty impressive so far. You can find plan details on T-Mobile's website, and we've included them below for your convenience: Plan features Essentials Experience More Experience Beyond Premium data 50GB Unlimited Unlimited Mobile hotspot Unlimited at 3G speeds (slow) 60GB high-speed Unlimited high-speed (capped at 250GB, then hotspot data is slow 3G speeds) Satellite messaging Beta included until July 2025 $10 per month optional extra Beta included until July 2025 $10 per month optional extra Included Smartwatch and tablet plans Optional extra, starts at $12/month Optional extra, starts at $12/month Discounted to $5/month per line Max savings of $22/month Streaming service discounts None Free Apple TV Plus and Netflix Standard with ads Savings with both subscriptions: $17.98/month Free Apple TV Plus, Netflix Standard with ads, Hulu with ads Max savings of: $27.97/month Device upgrades Can't upgrade before 24 months if bought with a deal from T-Mobile. Every two years Every year (you can trade in your phone after six or more months to upgrade) International features In Canada and Mexico: Unlimited talk, text, 128Kbps data (essentially unusably slow) Abroad: Unlimited texting in 215+ countries and destinations In Canada and Mexico: Unlimited talk, text, 15GB high-speed data Abroad: Unlimited text, 5GB high-speed data in 215+ countries and destinations Full flight texting and WiFi with streaming where available (mostly domestic US flights) In Canada and Mexico: Unlimited talk, text, 30GB high-speed data Abroad: Unlimited text, 15GB high-speed data in 215+ countries and destinations Full flight texting and WiFi with streaming where available (mostly domestic US flights) At the time of writing, T-Mobile also has a limited-time promotion for its plans where you can get a third line free (the same price as two lines). It also has the limited-time Essentials 4 Line offer for $100 per month. These promotions are outrageously good value for families or friend groups with three or more lines. Lines Essentials (including Essentials Saver, 3rd line free, and 4-line offer) Experience More (including 3rd line free offer) Experience Beyond (including 3rd line free offer) 1 $50/month $85/month $100/month 2 $40 per line ($80 total)/month $70 per line ($140 total)/month $85 per line ($170 total)/month 3 $30 per line ($90 total)/month $46.60 per line ($140 total)/month $56.60 per line ($170 total)/month 4 $25 per line ($100 total)/month $42.50 per line ($170 total)/month $53.75 per line ($215 total)/month 5 $24 per line ($120 total)/month $40 per line ($200 total)/month $52 per line ($260 total)/month T-Mobile Experience More plan T-Mobile's Experience More plan is an excellent for most people with good T-Mobile coverage, as it comes with unlimited premium data, a generous 60GB of mobile hotspot data, tempting discounts on popular streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV Plus, and comprehensive international features. Check price at T-Mobile No mix-and-match plans with T-Mobile Unlike other carriers, T-Mobile doesn't let you add differing plans under one multi-line account — every line in the account must have the same plan. That inflexibility can be somewhat mitigated by T-Mobile's 3rd-line-free promotion, but all the users in an account are still beholden to the cost of the highest-tier plan in the account. For example, if one person in an account needs the Experience Beyond plan, but the others only need the Essentials plan, everyone has to get the Experience Beyond plan and pay more than they would if they could mix and match plans. When it makes sense to get the Essentials plan If you do not need mobile hotspot data If you do not need built-in international features When it makes sense to upgrade to the Experience More plan If you need up to 60GB of fast mobile hotspot data If you need some international connectivity When it makes sense to get the Experience Beyond plan If you need up to 250GB of fast mobile hotspot data If you need lots of international connectivity You're sometimes or often off the grid and would benefit from satellite messaging, emergency services included. Note that Apple includes free Emergency SOS via satellite and Messaging via satellite free for two years after activating an iPhone 14 series or newer. The iPhone 14 is over two years old at this point, and Apple has yet to release a pricing structure for its satellite services. Don't upgrade to an Experience plan just for the streaming service and watch/tablet line discounts The maximum savings from the streaming service discounts on the Experience More plan is around $18, and up to $28 on the Experience Beyond plan. Even with all the discounts on the Experience Beyond plan combined, including streaming services and watch/tablet lines, the maximum savings amount to $50. Those discounts won't offset the added cost of the Experience plans if all you need is the Essentials plan. They are nice benefits if you also need the core features included in the Experience plans that aren't included in the Essentials plan, like fast (usable) hotspot data and extended international features. T-Mobile offers the plans with discounts for members of the military and veterans, first responders, and customers aged 55 or older. T-Mobile also offers prepaid plans, but they are poor value compared to mobile-virtual-network-operator (MVNO) options, many of which run on T-Mobile's network. MVNOs tend to offer the same amount or more data than T-Mobile's prepaid plans for lower monthly costs. The first MVNO alternative to T-Mobile's prepaid plans that comes to mind is Mint Mobile, which T-Mobile purchased back in 2024, and tops our list in our guide for the best cheap cell phone plans. Coverage T-Mobile has typically excellent coverage in many urban and suburban areas, and its rural coverage is expanding quickly. It can even serve certain areas better than other major carriers. To be sure, the opposite can be true for other areas. I can't say whether T-Mobile's coverage works for you and your area, and while T-Mobile's coverage map can give you an idea, no carrier coverage map is truly accurate. The best way to determine if T-Mobile works well in your area is to ask local friends, family, and neighbors. You can also check local groups on social media channels, like Facebook and If someone says T-Mobile's coverage isn't good, ask which carrier works for them. You might find that no carrier works well in that area, as is the case around my home. I fully realize the irony that someone writing a carrier review has poor coverage from every major carrier. Don't worry, I venture out to various spots in and out of town to test signal strength and data speeds. Data speeds T-Mobile advertises data speeds between 79 and 357 Mbps on its Essentials plans, and between 89 and 418 Mbps on its Beyond plans. Our speed tests varied wildly, regardless of plans — as high as 902 Mbps in busy parts of town, to as low as 0.97 Mbps in leafy residential areas not too far away from the busy section. Interestingly, I saw fast speeds up to 303 Mbps in sparsely populated "back-country" parts of my area. To be sure, T-Mobile data speeds will differ nationwide, and even in different parts of my town. Data speed differences between the two plans Unlike data speeds in my test areas, the difference in data speeds between the Essentials plan and the Experience Beyond plan can be translated to almost anyone across the country. T-Mobile's website has a fine-print clause beneath its plan offerings stating that the Essentials plan may deliver slower data speeds than higher-tier plans. My tests confirm that this is true. Still, while measurable, the difference in data download speeds isn't dramatic — the Essentials plan recorded 19% slower speeds on average than the Experience Beyond plan across 31 tests in various parts of town, including busy commercial areas, residential zones, parks, and backcountry. To put that into perspective, the average download speed on the Essentials plan was 220 Mbps in my tests, and 263 Mbps on the Experience Beyond plan. Both speeds are easily fast enough for most people, and the experience of using apps was identical on both the Essentials and Experience Beyond plans, whether I was in an area with slow or fast speeds. This means that those leaning toward the more affordable Essentials plan shouldn't be concerned about slower speeds or a meaningfully different experience compared to the higher-tier plans. Speeds Essentials Saver Experience Beyond Percentage difference Average download speeds (Mbps) 220 263 19% Average upload speeds (Mbps) 17 18 5% Additionally, the fastest speed test we recorded was 902 Mbps on the Essentials plan. The fastest speed test recorded on the Experience Beyond plan was 856 Mbps. Phone deals Like most major carriers in the US, T-Mobile has tempting deals for new phones. Deals differ for different phones, so you'll need to check the specific deals for the one you'd like. Still, it's possible to get even a high-end $1,000 iPhone 16 Pro for free with various condition combinations, like trading in a phone, signing up for a specific plan, or switching to T-Mobile from a different carrier. The trade-in value of your old phone depends on its generational age. For example, an iPhone 13 has a higher trade-in value than the iPhone 12. There are deals with varying conditions for almost every phone on T-Mobile, many get you a new phone for free, and some aren't even dependent on signing up for a pricey high-end plan. You generally get a better deal when signing up for higher-tier plans. The overarching phone deal condition with T-Mobile is that you must keep the phone for 24 months (two years) before you can upgrade to a new one. The exception is the Experience Beyond plan, which lets you upgrade yearly. At these times, you'll also have access to the same deals as new customers. To be sure, T-Mobile offers a shorter window before you can upgrade phones than Verizon and AT&T, which don't let you upgrade for 36 months (or three years). Should you sign up for T-Mobile? T-Mobile's plans propose some of the best value among major carriers, especially the Essentials and Experience More plans. As with most major carriers, you get better value with more lines on your account, generally around three or more lines. We recommend that those with less than three lines look at MVNOs, including Mint Mobile, which T-Mobile acquired. MVNO options often have similar features and data as the basic postpaid plans from major carriers for a lower monthly bill. For more information, take a look at our roundups of the latest Mint Mobile plans and Visible mobile deals. Still, T-Mobile's physical locations are a major benefit. They can offer superior in-person support than the phone and online-based support MVNOs offer. If you'd rather go to a physical location for anything related to your cell service, whether setting up your plan on your phone or troubleshooting an issue, you'll be better off with T-Mobile. Only rule out T-Mobile if you find it has poor coverage in your area. After all, value doesn't matter if you can't use the service. T-Mobile Essentials Plans T-Mobile's Essentials and Essentials Saver plans constitute the most affordable premium plans among the major carriers. It's a downright bargain with four or five lines on a single plan and includes 50GB of premium monthly data per line before T-Mobile slows down your data speeds. Just note that Essentials users may experience slower speeds than higher-paying T-Mobile customers during heavy network congestion. Check price at T-Mobile Shop all T-Mobile deals
