Taysom Hill Teams Up With Gabb Wireless To Create Safer Phone For Children
Apr 21, 2021, 7:12 PM | Updated: 8:07 pm
LEHI, Utah — New Orleans Saints quarterback and former BYU football star Taysom Hill announced his investment in a new cell phone made just for children, designed without internet, social media access or games.
The Lehi-based company, Gabb Wireles, said that Hill, along with Sandlot Partners in Orem, put up $14 million in funding to help boost production of their Z2 cell phone that’s already on the market.
“I’m not sure there has been a worse idea introduced into society than giving kids a smartphone. This is a horrible idea,” said Stephen Dalby who is the founder and CEO. “It’s essentially taking a young child, throwing him into the ocean, and saying this is a great place to learn how to swim.”
A new kind of cell phone just for kids.. no internet no social media and no games. Texting.. phone calls and pics only “cooler than a flip phone and a lot safer than a smart phone” says the founder of Gabb Wireless. Would you buy it for your kid? pic.twitter.com/6RrpPsCOIC
— Dan Rascon (@TVDanRascon) April 21, 2021
The Z2 is a touchscreen phone that looks like a smartphone, but children are only able to text, make phone calls and take pictures. It also includes other non-internet apps.
The phone sells for $99, has no monthly contract and requires no parental controls or setup.
“Everything that a kid needs to be able to communicate with their friends and their parents,” said Dalby.
He said hours and hours of daily smartphone use has caused anxiety, depression and even suicide in teens.
“There are a lot of better ways that kids can be using their time,” he said.
In a recorded zoom interview provided by the company, Hill said for him, it was a no-brainer.
“It checked all the boxes for me. This is something I studied in school, this is something I wanted to be involved in,” said Hill. “The idea that you can build something to save kids, to help kids in an area that has so much need and so much demand.”
Dalby said the company planned to release a safe watch coming up in the summer.
