Progressive tech startup, Cyber Dive, has announced the first fully functional smartphone for children integrated with unlimited parental monitoring functionality, the Aqua One. Every action taken on the child’s Aqua One device including their text messages, search history, social media activity and more is presented to parents on a comprehensive web application. Committed to the well-being of children, Cyber Dive has integrated the Aqua One with its patent-pending Mental Health Check created with insight from the company’s clinical child psychologist.
Priced at $0 down and no contract, Cyber Dive aimed to provide parents with an all-encompassing pricing model that includes the Aqua One smartphone device, access to Cyber Dive’s parental monitoring web application, unlimited nationwide cellular service with 5 GB of ultra-high-speed data, unlimited talk and text and unlimited free phone replacements for $69/month.
Cyber Dive believes that limiting a child’s smartphone capabilities often leads to defiant behavior as children are shielded from the reality of the online world rather than being taught how to navigate it responsibly. The Aqua One is a custom Android smartphone built in response to that belief. With full internet access, no screen time limitations and no app download restrictions, the Aqua One gives children the freedom to explore with their parents by their side.
The functionality of the Aqua One, paralleled with its psychology-backed Mental Health Check feature, provides parents the opportunity to take a more informed and proactive approach. FAIR Health’s recent study on Pediatric Mental Health found that between 2019 and 2020 mental health claims of children ages 13-18 increased by 103%. With the assistance of in-house clinical child psychologist, Jackie Henretig PsyD, Cyber Dive developed questions that assess a child’s overall safety, family communication, connectedness to others and general mental state. The Mental Health Check delivers questions based on the age of the child and the responses are presented on the parent’s web application. This feature coincides with an increasingly relevant topic: How is technology affecting children and their overall well-being?
“On average, children in the United States receive their first phone at the age of 10 with instant access to the internet and social media. These platforms were not designed with the safety of children in mind and the current market of ‘Smartphones for kids’ offers outdated solutions for the virtually connected world we live in. The Aqua One changes that. We put parents back in the driver’s seat giving them the ability to see the content that their children are viewing, how this content is affecting their mental health and if any of these experiences or interactions require a parent’s extra attention.” – Cyber Dive Co-Founder & CTO Derek Jackson
Cyber Dive’s Human Trafficking Advisor and Clinical Psychologist, Angela Solomon, PsyD reports that it takes an average of 18 minutes after initial online contact for a predator to groom a child and request sexual content. By providing access to the entirety of a child’s device activity including both positive and potentially negative interactions and experiences, parents are able to intervene as soon as they see any instances that they believe to be inappropriate or potentially dangerous for their child.
“Cyber Dive is committed to driving forward in creating safe, seamless and sustainable solutions that will result in deeper relationships free from the barriers and congestion that encompass a child’s online ecosystem. The Aqua One gives parents a ladder and takes them to places they have never been able to go,” said Cyber Dive Co-Founder & CEO Jeff Gottfurcht
Cyber Dive has chosen NUU to be the exclusive hardware provider of the Aqua One.
“NUU Mobile is grateful to be the exclusive hardware provider of the Aqua One smartphone. It is exciting to work alongside a forward-thinking team and see their vision of a comprehensive parental monitoring platform and mental health-focused digital device come to life,” said NUU COO, Tim Clemens
Cyber Dive has selected Plum, which operates on the largest and most reliable nationwide network, as the exclusive wireless service partner for Aqua One devices. Plum was founded by the people who brought Ultra Mobile and Mint Mobile to market.
“We are excited to have been selected as the exclusive wireless service partner for Cyber Dive’s Aqua One smartphone. The team at Plum looks forward to being part of creating a safer smartphone for children that prioritizes family relationships and online responsibility,” Plum General Manager, Josh Lowenthal, remarked.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the parental control software market size will reach $1.7 billion by 2028. Cyber Dive’s release of the Aqua One fulfills the industry gap for a smartphone that keeps parents informed of the interactions and experiences a child is having on their smartphone device and supports the inevitable progression of technology. The reveal of this innovative product opens the door for increased parent involvement, a generation of responsible digital citizens and the opportunity to strengthen parent-child relationships.
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