Breaking News:
- New Verizon Family app enhances family safety.
- Includes a safety feature called Safe Walk with SOS, which allows users to share their location with emergency contacts and send SOS alerts if needed.
- 63% of parents surveyed feel anxious when they don't have the location of their loved ones at the ready1.
- Verizon Family gives you peace of mind and is now available for free to Verizon customers on any postpaid plan via the App Store and Google Play.
NEW YORK, Oct. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verizon has long been a partner for parents navigating the digital world with their children. Today, we are taking it one step further with the launch of our brand new app, Verizon Family — a digital service that helps families stay connected and safe. With Verizon Family, you can monitor your family's location, set up new features, like Safe Walk with an SOS button to contact a family member in an emergency, and even keep an eye on your children’s Verizon calls and texts2.
Verizon already offers a range of tools and resources designed to promote online safety and responsible technology use, including the Gizmo Watch line of kids’ smartwatches and our “Parenting in a Digital World” resource. And now with the new Verizon Family app, we’re helping you and your family safely navigate the digital world.
“Family safety and security is paramount, for Verizon and for me personally,” said Sowmyanarayan Sampath, chief executive officer of Verizon Consumer Group. “Our mission is to power and empower how people live, work and play, and with Verizon Family, we’re empowering parents with knowledge and tools, helping them foster a healthy relationship between their children and technology. The Verizon Family app provides parents (including me) with peace of mind, knowing they can easily stay in touch with their loved ones and help keep them safe.”
Location awareness for peace of mind
Verizon Family facilitates easy location monitoring of family members. The app displays a map indicating their real-time location, and users can configure a location alert to receive notifications when family members arrive at or depart from a specified location.
The app also allows for the review of children’s Verizon call and text history, providing insights into their communication patterns and helping to identify any potential concerns2. This feature promotes a sense of connectedness and enables proactive intervention if necessary.
Enhanced safety with Safe Walk with SOS
The Verizon Family app offers a new safety feature called Safe Walk with SOS, providing an additional layer of security for children, teenagers and adults. When activated, Safe Walk with SOS enables users to share real-time location with designated emergency contacts, offering reassurance and a direct means of seeking assistance from your emergency contacts when feeling unsafe3.
Studies indicate that nearly three-quarters of parents are more inclined to grant increased freedom to their dependents when they have access to real-time location information1. Caregivers can experience peace of mind knowing that their loved ones possess a readily available tool to summon their help when needed. This functionality effectively serves as an advanced panic button, offering the added benefit of location sharing.
The Verizon Family app is available for free to all Verizon mobile customers on all postpaid plans from both the App Store and Google Play. We also offer a $14.99 a month paid tier with additional support for parental controls, online activity monitoring, driving insights and roadside assistance. For more about Verizon Family, visit verizon.com/verizonfamily or check out our parenting portal, Parenting in a Digital World for additional resources.
1This poll was conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of Verizon between September 20 - 24, 2024 among a sample of 2,000 parents or caregivers. The interviews were conducted online and the data was weighted to approximate a target population based on gender, age, educational attainment, race/ethnicity, and region. Results among the full sample have a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.
2Verizon Family provides information about calls and texts sent and received over the Verizon cellular network. It does not monitor activity through iMessage, Google Messages, WhatsApp or other third-party messaging and calling apps.
3In the event of a critical emergency, users should call 911.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of $134.0 billion in 2023. Verizon’s world-class team never stops innovating to meet customers where they are today and equip them for the needs of tomorrow. For more, visit verizon.com or find a retail location at verizon.com/stores.
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Media contact:
George Koroneos
george.koroneos@verizon.com
Social: @GLKcreative
