British company ThePhoneCloud today announced the launch of their PX1 smartphone; a £195 Android device built with the purpose of protecting children between 8-12 from inappropriate content and online bullying.
Supervised smartphone usage for children
The PX1 smartphone includes built-in software (sold as a separate subscription of £5 per month) that allows parents to monitor their child’s online activity, improve their online safety with features like keyword filters, and reducing access to inappropriate content like pornography, gambling and violent websites.
ThePhoneCloud’s PX1 Android smartphone is able to scan the device’s SMS and WhatsApp messages for inappropriate messages (including the ability to scan for specific keywords of your choosing) as well as images containing partial nudity. If any of these things occur, the parents are immediately alerted via text message and the content is removed from the child’s device.
A control panel for parents
Parents can manage all of these settings via a control panel accessible via mobile devices and computers. There, you can tweak the amount of internet use allowed in a day, filter app usage and even schedule screen-time.
Russell Whitlock, founder of ThePhoneCloud’s PX1 smartphone says, “Nowadays it is essential for children to have a phone so parents can keep in touch when they’re out and about. However, having a phone also opens up access to inappropriate or abusive content. After discovering my son was receiving abusive messages, I decided I wanted to make a difference and develop the PX1 to give children the benefits of owning their very own smartphone but with an extra layer of protection”.
ThePhoneCloud PX1 smartphone specifications
-
5.5” display
-
Android 7.0 PhoneCloud OS
-
32 GB capacity
-
8MP camera
-
Up to 7 hours talk time
-
Music, games, apps
Looking purely at the spec sheet, the PX1 is quite underwhelming for the £195 price tag. That said, the value of this smartphone is in the included parental controls that make it easier to manage your child’s usage and protect them.
Pricing & availability
ThePhoneCloud PX1 will be available in black, gold and rose gold from 26th March. It’s currently available with free Bluetooth headphones and free shipping via ThePhoneCloud.com. The software subscription is sold separately for £5 per month.
