Sprint announced on Tuesday the availability of Sprint Guardian for Android, a unique software suite geared towards helping parents keep their children safe and their smartphones secure. According to a report from Pew Internet Research, 75 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds now own cell phones, which is up from 45 percent in 2004. As these statistics continue to increase, tools like Sprint Guardian offer parents peace of mind by providing them with the option to regulate the use of their child's text while in school and while driving. It also provides the ability to perform location checks.

Sprint Guardian helps with relocating a lost phone and secures devices from malware attacks. Created by Safely, Sprint Guardian is available for multiple Android devices through Sprint Zone. Services plans range from $4.99 per month to $49.99 per year for up to five lines on the same account. For more details, check out the press release below.

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Sprint Offers Parents a Solution to Help Keep Teens and Children Safe and Use Mobile Devices Responsibly

Sprint Guardian Now Available, Bringing Together Mobile Security and Safety Applications for Families and Individuals

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), June 19, 2012 – Among teenagers, smartphones are a lifeline. According to Pew Internet Research, 75 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45 percent in 2004.1 To help parents ensure their teens are using smartphones responsibly, Sprint (NYSE: S) announced today the availability of Sprint Guardian, a collection of mobile family safety and device security bundles that provide families tools to help keep their smartphones – and their families — safe and secure. Sprint Guardian is available on many Sprint Android™-powered devices through Sprint Zone. Customers can find Sprint Zone as an icon on their device.2

Sprint Guardian features leading mobile applications from Safely, a division of Location Labs, and Lookout. The family safety bundle from Safely enables families to protect their phone-carrying children through location checks and limits on texting while driving or at school. The device security bundle from Lookout helps customers protect their mobile devices from loss and malware.

"With Sprint Guardian, Sprint is giving families and individuals tools and information to better manage their wireless experience," said Fared Adib, vice president-Product Development, Sprint. "For example, parents can set parameters for when and where their children can text; a Sprint phone can be programmed to stop calls and text messages while driving; and lost phones may be found more easily."

Inside Sprint Guardian: Safely and Lookout

The family safety tools from Safely bring together three applications to help parents keep their kids safe and focused on what matters whether they are at home, at school or on-the-go. Sprint Mobile Controls, Sprint Drive First and Sprint Family Locator are available as a Family Safety bundle for $9.99 per month for up to five lines on the same account.

Lookout Family enables Sprint customers to manage their phone security by protecting against identity theft and fraud, find a family member's missing device when it is lost or stolen, and back up their precious data. Lookout Family bundle is $4.99 per month, or $49.99 per year, for up to five lines on the same account.

In addition to simplicity and convenience for families, Sprint Guardian offers significant cost savings.

Sprint Guardian helps families stay safe and secure
Family Safety BundleManage and monitor your family's wireless experience Sprint Mobile Controls   Sprint Family Locator Sprint Drive First $9.99 per month (15 day free trial) Mobile Security BundleProtect your family's phones from malware,phishing, loss and theft Lookout Mobile Security $4.99 per month*
  • Locate your child on an interactive map
  • Oversee and control your child's phone use to encourage responsibility
  • Lock your child's phone during family time
  • Help reduce risks of driving distracted
  • Back up contacts, call history and photos and restore them to a new phone
  • Find lost phones
  • Lock and wipe phones to protect personal information
               *Also available for $49.99 per year
Choose both bundles for $14.98 per monthFor a family of five, that offers a 73 percent savings – more than $39 per month – over purchasing each application in the family safety and device security bundles separately

Sprint's Mobile Security and Safety Leadership

Sprint is a leader in mobile security and safety, and Sprint Guardian is just the latest in a series of valuable services Sprint offers to help consumer and enterprise customers manage and protect their devices. For business customers, Sprint announced on May 3 the expansion of the Sprint Professional Mobility Services portfolio, a suite of managed and professional solutions designed to help businesses simplify management and security across an increasingly complex mix of devices in the workplace. On an industry-wide level, Sprint launched the Mobile Security Council in 2011 to bring together key players in the mobile ecosystem to address protection, safety and security needs important to consumers and businesses. Charter members of the council are Lookout, Cisco, IBM, Juniper Networks, Motorola Mobility along with its subsidiary 3LM, and Samsung.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 56 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2012 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers and most improved in customer satisfaction across all industries during the last four years. Newsweekranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com orwww.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

1According to a 2010 Pew Internet Research study.

2The Sprint Zone application currently is not available on the Nexus S 4G or Samsung Moment devices. [press_end]