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Health & Fitness

Trick-or-Treat Technology Safety Tips for Families

An estimated 41.1 million* trick-or-treaters roamed the streets nationwide in 2012 and many will be heading out again this year. When doing so, it’s important to have fun and stay safe.

With wireless usage up on Halloween, AT&T San Diego has prepared six trick-or-treat technology tips to help families have fun and stay connected this Halloween:

1.        Go mobile and ensure accessibility: Make sure wireless phones are fully charged. Since costumes and carrying bags of candy can become cumbersome, consider using a belt clip or other accessory that keeps the phone within easy reach.

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2.       Secure the line of communication: Pre-program contact information of parents, neighbors and emergency services into your and your child’s speed dial, and be sure you know how to access these numbers with ease.

3.        Establish boundaries: Families should have in place a familiarized route for children to follow while out on the town. Mobile navigation tools can assist parents and kids in creating routes, and goblins on the go can reference maps throughout the evening. Similarly, AT&T’s FamilyMap Viewer allows parents to easily and immediately locate a family member's whereabouts from their mobile device or PC so they can keep a close watch.

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4.       Be in touch: Set up periodic alarms with Halloween-themed tones as a reminder for trick-or-treaters to text or call home between candy collecting stops.

5.       Don’t miss a thing: Many of today’s devices also feature photo, video and audio recorders, allowing spur-of-the-moment happenings to be captured and shared among friends and family in real time. Capture photos and videos of ghoulish costumes, spooky pumpkins and the sweet treats and memories that Halloween brings.

6.       Drive safely: With pedestrians filling streets and sidewalks, it is more important than ever for drivers to stay alert behind the wheel. If a call needs to be made or a message checked, pull over. Don’t text and drive. Check out AT&T DriveMode mobile application – it automatically sends a customizable reply to incoming texts – notifying the sender that the user is driving and unable to respond.

Happy Halloween! 

*US Census Bureau, "Halloween: Oct. 31, 2012

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