Prevention vs Damage Control: Gabb Messenger for Parents

Connection is a fundamental part of human development, and it’s especially important for kids. 

Today, technology has become an inextricable part of connection. From texting and messaging to video calls and social media, there are countless ways for people to communicate no matter where they are in the world. 

For all of us, but especially kids, this can be both a blessing and a curse. From mental health concerns to cyberbullying and grooming, we know a lot more about digital dangers than we did a decade ago. But the tech world is still mostly playing catch-up in regards to safety for kids (and change is only coming because of external pressure from both parents and politicians).

It’s largely on us as parents to help shield kids from the damaging effects of technology. While that can feel overwhelming, thankfully there are tools today to support parents in protecting their children. For example, many messaging platforms are starting to add more safety features for kids.

However, those features notify parents when their children have already been exposed to dangerous content. That’s certainly better than nothing, but responding after harm has been inflicted is not ideal.

Protecting kids in the first place is a much better approach, an idea that inspired the design of Gabb Messenger.

Prevention Works Better Than Damage Control

Given that so many of the biggest online dangers are threatening kids’ health, it seems fair to take a page from the medical playbook, summed up nicely by the CDC: “It is far better to prevent disease than to treat people after they get sick.”

By this logic, the safest approach to digital communication is to keep kids away from it altogether. But we all know that’s not a realistic long term strategy. And frankly, that approach would be denying them a lot of great experience and opportunity too.

A lot of good can come when kids are allowed to connect with each other, with you, and with other family members online. The challenge is how to give them the appropriate amount of connection while being shielded from the dangers inherent in the freedom it provides.

Facing that challenge is Gabb’s mission in a nutshell. That’s why Gabb Messenger and Gabb Messenger for Parents were created.

What is Gabb Messenger?

Gabb Messenger is Gabb’s messaging app, available on Gabb Phone and Gabb Phone Plus. It was designed specifically to bring parents peace of mind while children are provided with enough autonomy to develop the crucial, 21st-century skill of using tech responsibly. 

It uses smart-triggered alerts and centralized parent management to protect kids and teens while they message from their own phones.

Unlike other messaging apps that tack on safety settings as an afterthought, Gabb Messenger was designed with kids and teens safety as the top priority. 

Our smart filtration automatically blocks offensive content from reaching kids in the first place, so parents don’t need to constantly monitor their child’s messages. 

Gabb Messenger doesn’t require parents to configure a long list of complicated safety settings that only alert them of problems after damage has been done.

Gabb Messenger gives kids:

• Safe text messaging (SMS) and photo/video messaging (MMS) with the parent-option to enable group chat. Messaging is kept safe with smart filtration that automatically blocks images with explicit content, links from unknown contacts, and harmful words from unknown contacts. Harmful words or images from known contacts are flagged to alert parents.
• A clean display and user experience on par with the high-quality messaging experience they’d enjoy on leading messaging apps.
• The freedom to learn because only messages flagged as questionable are sent to the Gabb Messenger Parent app, so kids get enough autonomy to develop crucial digital communication skills.

Gabb Messenger for Parents gives caregivers:

• A parent dashboard that provides a crucial, but unintrusive, layer of protection so kids still feel a strong sense of autonomy.
• A simple way to review questionable content that passes the initial filter, but is flagged as questionable. Within the Parent app, guardians can toggle between “Sent” and “Received” tabs to identify the source of the potentially harmful message.
• A quick way to keep track of multiple kids because any phone line with Gabb Messenger can be pulled into a single parent account to make it easy for parents with more than one child.
• The ability to manage a child’s contact list so that only parent-approved contacts can send or receive messages with your child.

The Right Way to Help Kids Learn

Autonomy is an important part of a child’s development and helps them to become independent and responsible so they can confidently face a constantly evolving world. 

Gabb Messenger allows you to foster independence and encourages your kids to practice safe behaviors online. You get peace of mind, they get safe connection. It’s a win-win.