Rick Bolander: Customers Rave about Kajeet

An experienced venture capitalist, Rick Bolander serves on the boards of several technology startups, including Kajeet, a company that provides mobile phones rich with parental and school controls.

Because parents generally want to be able to monitor the media their children consume, some of them hesitate to give their kids mobile devices—especially those able to access the Internet. Kajeet, however, provides an alternative. Parents can choose from a variety of Android devices and, through them, control how many minutes their children can use as well as the content they can view. Many consumers have come to appreciate Kajeet’s offerings. In one case, a parent liked the products so much that she decided to purchase phones for her entire family through Kajeet.

Another parent appreciated the ability to increase and decrease the minutes available on her child’s phone, and she based such decisions on the youth’s grades. Still other parents appreciate Kajeet’s GPS feature, which allows them to pinpoint their kids’ locations. One mother liked the ability to block usage as well as the option to override the block in case of emergency.

Overall, Kajeet lets parents protect their children from inappropriate content or overuse while still being able to offer the benefits of mobile communication.

Rick Bolander on Mobile Phone Safety for Children, Part One

While most parents can remember a time before the ubiquity of mobile phones, their children have grown up in a world where obtaining their first phone is a rite of passage every bit as important as a first car. But like cars, mobile phones can be dangerous if not used correctly. The following tips are intended to keep your kids safe on the phone.

Be Aware of Hidden Costs

Given the text messaging craze among kids, look for flat-rate text plans; otherwise, you may find yourself paying a hefty bill. Ensure that your children understand the hidden costs of text messaging and data usage.

The Dangers of Map Making

Many newer phones come equipped with GPS technology, a life saver when one is lost or trying to find someplace new. However, GPS-equipped phones often attach location information to photos, and smartphones allow such data to be used on websites. Consider disabling these services on your kids’ devices in order to protect their privacy.

The discussion continues in Part Two of this article.

About the Author

A member of the Board of Directors for Kajeet, Inc., Rick Bolander has played a leading role in the success of one of the world’s first mobile phone interface designed specifically for use by children. An alumnus of Harvard Business School and the University of Michigan, Rick Bolander also serves as a Managing Partner for Gabriel Venture Partners. To view the author’s other achievements and collaborations, visit LinkedIn.com/In/RickBolander.

Tweens and Mobile Phones: Establishing the Rules

By Rick Bolander

Rick Bolander and Gabriel Venture Partners have helped to develop a wide range of communications and technology companies, including Kajeet, which offers parent-managed mobile phone plans designed to keep children and teens safe while providing access to the services they want. Rick Bolander and his staff use their in-depth industry knowledge to offer parents the following points to keep in mind when tweens and mobile phones meet:

1. Remember that a 12-year-old is less mobile and independent than an older teenager who likely has a car and a part-time job. Accordingly, patterns of mobile phone use differ at successive ages.

2. Ensure that your tween understands the importance of protecting personal information like home address, contact information, school location, and family financial data.

3. Discuss other safety rules, such as not making calls or sending texts when riding a bike or crossing a busy intersection.

4. Program your child’s phone to accept calls only from numbers authorized by you.

5. Consider enabling parental controls for costly applications such as ringtones and games.

6. Discuss the issue of cyberbullying and educate your child on what to do if he or she becomes a target.

7. Promote healthy, positive experiences by engaging in regular discussions with your tween about his or her use of mobile phones and other communications devices.

Learn more about Rick Bolander and his accomplishments at LinkedIn.com/In/RickBolander.

Trends in Teen Texting and Mobile Phones (3/3)

Some additional concepts from the Pew Research Center’s March 2012 teen cell phone usage study relate to location services.

Location services, such as Foursquare, have become more popular in recent years. Among teens, one in 20 regularly engages with such services, including similar features on Twitter and Facebook. Students who own smartphones “check in” more often than those who do not. Such activity also varies with users’ ages. Individuals age 17 lead the check-ins at 19 percent. Youth ages 15 and 16 follow. In contrast, those in the younger age brackets, such as 12 and 13, tend not to utilize location services at all. In another interesting finding, teens who engage in location services also tend to share other information, such as passwords, with people they know.

With an education in engineering and business, Rick Bolander currently leads a team at Gabriel Venture Partners, a firm he co-founded in California, in addition to his investment in Kajeet, a cellular phone company.

Trends in Teen Texting and Mobile Phones (2/3)

As a Director on the Board of Kajeet, Rick Bolander carefully monitors the mobile phone usage of teenagers and young people. Kajeet allows parents to implement controls on their children’s cellular activities.

The Pew Research Center’s recently released report, which documented cell phone usage habits among teenagers, uncovered some interesting facts about computers and landlines.

Teens who send the most texts often do not enjoy access to a home computer, even if another family member owns one. Almost half of the teens in this group do not have computers in their homes at all.

Traditional voice calls appear to be declining among adolescents. One-quarter of those polled said they never place voice calls. Only two in five make calls daily. Landline usage also seems to be decreasing. In 2009, 30 percent of teens spoke with their friends using landlines daily. Just over two years later, this has fallen to 14 percent. Another one-third never utilize landlines for such communication at all.

Trends in Teen Texting and Mobile Phones (1/3)

Rick Bolander serves as a Director on the Board of Kajeet, which offers pay-as-you-go mobile phone service for young people and enables parents to customize available features. Also a key investor in Kajeet, Rick Bolander understands the challenges parents face in ensuring their children’s safety when using mobile phones.

In 2012, the Pew Research Center released a report on teenagers and how they utilize cell phones. A majority of young people text with at least one person on a daily basis. Half of those interviewed indicated they text with their friends daily. These numbers have not changed significantly in the past several years.

The number of teens sending numerous texts each day has increased, however. In 2009, 15 percent of adolescents sent 200 or more texts daily. In 2011, that number had risen to 18 percent. In addition, the percentage of teens who send no texts in a day fell to 1 percent from 2 percent.

The organization also discovered that those who text more also speak more on their phones. Nearly three-quarters of heavy texters also make voice calls daily. Additionally, there appears to be some correlation between texting volume and the type of phone owned. Those who utilize smartphones tend to send more texts.