ParentShield mobile phone deals

About ParentShield

ParentShield is the only mobile network in the UK that’s dedicated to protecting children and vulnerable people, both from harmful online content and from excessive mobile charges. It offers a number of SIM-only deals that come with a number of features making them ideal for young people, including content filters and unlimited, free calls home.

ParentShield features

ParentShield SIM-only deals come with a number of features that are unique to the network. These features set it apart from other networks as the only mobile provider dedicated to children. They include:

All-network SIM

Unlike most small, independent network providers, ParentShield doesn’t piggyback off just one of the Big Four networks, but combines the coverage of all of them. This ensures that your child should have signal wherever they are, and won’t be as affected by ‘not-spots’, which are areas which don’t receive coverage from any particular network.

Not only does ParentShield’s Roaming SIM constantly search for the network with the strongest signal wherever the user is in the UK, but it can also connect to 157 networks across Europe without incurring any roaming fees.

Ultra-secure call blocking

ParentShield allows you to block an unlimited number of phone numbers from either calling or sending texts to your child’s phone, all at the click of a button. This feature is included directly in your ParentShield Portal, so you can monitor it in real time and block unwanted callers to your children’s phone wherever you are.

It also gives you the option to block all unknown callers, so that only numbers that are listed on your child’s phone’s contacts list can get in touch with them. For an extra level of security, you can also turn on ‘Ultra-secure mode’, which blocks ALL numbers from contacting the phone apart from your designated home phone numbers.

Unlimited calls home

All of ParentShield’s SIMs allow you to designate two home phone numbers, which your child can then call or text without restriction. This means that calls and texts to these numbers won’t count towards your monthly usage, so your child will always be able to contact you even if they run out of minutes or data.

The ‘home numbers’ don’t necessarily have to be landline numbers either - you can set them as your mobile number, or any 07 number you wish for that matter. You can also request for a third ‘home number’ to be added to your child’s SIM should you need it.

Call and text recording

All texts and calls are recorded on ParentShield SIMs, and you can access them via your ParentShield Portal. While this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be spying on every communication your children have - and most parents don’t deem this necessary - it does give you peace of mind that if you’re ever concerned about your child’s behaviour or relationships, then you can monitor the conversations they’re having with other people.

All of these recordings are secure, and you don’t need to use your child’s phone to access them. Even if your child deletes any messages they’ve received, the recorded version will still be visible to the parent at their request for up to 6 months.

If you or your child finds this feature to be a bit intrusive, then you can set up trusted contacts to be ‘unrecorded’ numbers, which calls and texts to those particular numbers won’t be recorded or stored.

Spending limits

ParentShield offers unique spending controls which can give you peace of mind that your children won’t run up expensive bills by using too much data, calling abroad, or buying in-app purchases.

These spending limits automatically block all premium rate numbers, overseas numbers, and SMS shortcode numbers designed for voting or donations. ParentShield is so confident in their spending controls feature that they claim not one parent has ever received an unexpected bill from them.

It also features a data budgeting feature, which limit the amount of data your child uses each day so that they’re not left without come the end of the month. This can also be monitored and controlled by your children themselves, which will teach them good habits about budgeting and time control.

Time limits

Another feature that helps to teach your child about responsible use is ParentShield’s time controls. These allow you to set bedtimes remotely from your own phone, via the ParentShield Portal, after which no calls or messages can be sent or received from your children’s phone.

You can also turn on the ‘Schoolbook’ feature, which automatically restricts calls and messages between 9am and 3pm on weekdays, apart from the previously mentioned ‘home numbers’.

Word alerts

All ParentShield SIMs come with an SMS word alert feature, which sends real-time notifications by text to your own phone alerting you when any potentially harmful words are detected in text messages sent to your child’s phone. You can then access these messages via the ParentShield Portal.

You can also set up your own ‘Trigger Words’, so that any texts containing these words or phrases will be alerted to you. It can also alert you when your child’s phone receives signal after a period of disconnection, giving you that extra peace of mind.

ParentShield SIM-only deals

ParentShield currently has 6 different SIM only deals to choose from, all of which come with the network’s unique features as listed above. They come with a range of data allowances and price points, so you can be sure to find one that you think is suitable for your child. What’s more, all of ParentShield’s SIM deals run on a rolling monthly basis, which means you don’t have to sign up to any lengthy contracts and you’re free to cancel anytime.

Safe Stage 1

ParentShield’s entry-level SIM only deal comes with 250 texts and 250 minutes per month, with pay as you go data, and costs £9.99 per month.

Safe Stage 2

This comes with double the texts and minutes allowance of Safe Stage 1 (500 mins each), and 500MB of data, for £14.99 per month.

Safe Stage 3

If you want your child to have unlimited calls and texts, this SIM is ParentShield’s cheapest that offers that, along with 1GB of data, for £19.99 per month.

Safe Stage 4

This SIM deal also offer unlimited minutes and texts, but comes with 3GB of data, for £24.99 per month.

Safe Stage 8

If you want to give your child a generous data allowance, then consider this SIM which offers 500 texts and 500 minutes, as well as 10GB of data, for £29.99 per month.

Safe Stage 10

This is the most comprehensive of ParentShield’s SIMs, but also the most expensive. It offers unlimited calls and texts, and 10GB of data, for £35.99 a month.