A Utah startup has an answer to the perennial question of when to give a child a cell phone. Gabb Wireless, founded in West Jordan by Stephen Dalby, has introduced a mobile platform designed to provide cellular safety for kids and peace of mind for parents.
“As a father, I was concerned about the harmful content my children could be exposed to with a traditional smartphone,” said Dalby. “We are handing over devices with more technology and access than ever before, and one thing is certain, that too much technology, too soon, is too dangerous. With little to no other options, we needed an alternative to providing parents ease of mind, while giving the kids what they want, a cell phone.”
The Gabb Phone is a ZTE Android device that has the same appearance as a traditional smartphone but with minimized capabilities. It allows families to connect through phone calls and texts and is meant to be an introductory device for children aged 8–14. It is also equipped with a calendar, calculator, alarm clock, FM radio and a 5-megapixel camera. Most importantly, the Gabb Phone is built without Internet access or an app store, and MMS texting capabilities have been disabled, which means no video or images can be sent or received.
“Parental controls on current devices can be tampered with, but with the Gabb Phone, there are no workarounds because the phone simply does not have those capabilities,” Dalby added. “We knew this idea was something other parents wanted when we unveiled the first Gabb Phone and its safe wireless network through an Indiegogo campaign in May of this year. In just 96 hours, we had surpassed our fundraising goal.”
Utah residents have already been able to subscribe to Gabb Phone service and the company is planning a national launch by mid-September. The company is not anti-technology, but rather a solution to provide families with age-appropriate options when it comes to introducing their children to mobile technology, according to Dalby. All Gabb Phones operate on the nationwide Gabb Wireless Network, powered by a third-party 4G LTE provider. Gabb’s pay-as-you-go service plan offers unlimited talk and text for $19.99 per month. The company has no long-term contract requirement.