Questions We've Been Asked

How Does This Work?

After enrolling your child's phone to the Kid Phone Advocate service, our application is installed on the phone. Once the application has been installed on the child's phone, it immediately begins communicating with the Kid Phone Advocate equipment to report activity on the phone.

As the parent or guardian, you can sign in to your new account on Kid Phone Advocate and begin monitoring the activity. You can use the service as provided, or take the opportunity to define such things as Watchwords. Watchwords are controlled by you. Words appearing such as death, suicide, sex, pregnancy, etc. will trigger an immediate alert either to your cell phone or your email (based on your preference at set up). As a subscriber, you can sign in to our website anytime day or night and monitor the activity.

Click here to read more about how it works.

What Phones Do You Support?

We're constantly working to add additional phones to the list that we already support. As a general rule, if you have provided your child with a Smart Phone", Kid Phone Advocate will probably support it.

If you're unsure as to whether your child has a Smart Phone, contact the manufacturer, cell phone service provider, or read the owner's manual. It also might be a Smart Phone if it supports GPS, Internet access, and streaming video.

If, after checking our list of approved devices, you need help determining whether or not PALS supports your phone, we encourage you to contact us.

What Phone Carriers Do You Support?

The Kid Phone Advocate application will work on most of the provider services in the continental United States.

How do I get the application on my child’s phone?

Depending on the manufacturer of your phone, there are a couple of ways. We'll help you figure out the best way of installing the application on your child's phone. After subscribing to the Kid Phone Advocate service, we'll send you a text message with a link that will either download the application directly from our equipment, or direct you to a website that is an online store supporting applications for that manufacturer. In any event, the application will download to the phone and then automatically install.

Can someone outside the United States use this service?

No. The Terms of Use currently apply only to U.S. Residents. However, check back periodically as we move to launch our international product.

What kind of content can I expect to see from the phone?

Kid Phone Advocate doesn't withhold any information it receives from the phone. This means that once you sign in to your account, you will see the full text version of all text messages sent to and from the phone. You'll also see the date and time each of those messages was sent and received. Depending upon how you want to use the service, you could even associate names to known phone numbers, so it would be easier for you to view the information we provide to. Using WatchWords™ will also highlight and/or replace these terms with real wording for better understanding.

Will This Invalidate the Warranty on my Phone?

No. The Kid Phone Advocate application is installed on your phone alongside other applications and works within the parameters of the phone provided by each manufacturer.

What If I See Suspicious Activity?

You should monitor the account carefully to watch for suspicious or illegal behavior. If you see something that doesn't look right, you should contact your local Police Department. Suspicious activity can range from text messages being received by unidentified senders appearing on your child’s phone requesting to meet, to asking inappropriate or personal questions of your child.

What Is the Cost?

The monthly cost is $9.95  or a one time annual fee of $109.99  (pay 11 months, get the 12th month free)¹.

Are there any limitations in using the product?

No limitations². However, depending on your cell phone provider service, you will need to make sure your child's phone has a data package that allows access to the Internet and unlimited text messages which enables the application to be loaded and traffic captured and transmitted.

What If I Change my Child's Phone in the Middle of the Month?

We want to make sure your child remains protected, even when they receive a new phone, so transferring service from the old device to a new one is easy. Simply sign in to your Kid Phone Advocate account and update the profile for the phone number you have a new device for. Our service will send a note to the phone, which will allow you to download the application.

Got a new phone with a new phone number to replace the old one? No problem. You can still use the Kid Phone Advocate parent interface to instruct the service that you are deactivating one device and activating a new one. In any case, you have the flexbility to manage your account and ensure your child remains protects.

How Long Does it Take to Install and Configure the Application on my Child's Phone?

Once you have successfully signed up on the Kid Phone Advocate website, configuring the service and installing the application on your child's phone should only take a few minutes of your time, depending on the type of phone your child has. As soon as the application is installed, it immediately begins communicating with our equipment to begin monitoring the phone.

What Is a Texting?

Texting, or text messaging, is a colloquial term referring to the exchange of brief written messages between mobile phones, over cellular networks.

What Is a Cyber-Bully?

The National Crime Prevention Council's definition of cyber-bullying is "when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.

What Is a Sexting?

Sexting (a portmanteau of sex and texting) is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones.

What Is GPS Technology?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth.

What Are WatchWords™?

Kid Phone Advocate wants your use of this service to be as easy as possible. To help, we preloaded your account with a list of words or key terms that might be red flags to parents and guardians if they are found on a phone being monitored by our service.

As a subscriber of this service, you are free to access your Kid Phone Advocate account online and add to or remove words or key terms from your WatchWord™ list that you feel are most applicable to you and your child. You can even set up your WatchWord list so that you can be notified in the event one of these "red flag" terms are found on your child's phone.