To gain access to the service, a child must own a Disney Mobile phone, which costs $59.99 with a two-year service contract. Parents will not need to buy a Disney Mobile phone for themselves, but if they do not, they will have to monitor the child’s phone use online instead of directly by phone.

For younger, less mature children, the service can be restricted to incoming and outgoing calls from family members. “Kids are terrified of the phone timeout,” he said. But teenagers who want to send text messages and download videos can have the freedom to do as they wish.

Perhaps the most novel feature is that parents can determine the location of a child’s phone, either from their own cellphones or by entering a code online that will show a map.

And what about wives or husbands who want to keep track of their spouses? Can they be tracked, too? “Only kids can be tracked,” Wadsworth said, because they have to identify themselves. Still, he added, “There could be many interesting uses.” — LAURA M. HOLSON