T-Mobile will launch parental control features to family plans in August, allows parents to manage when and how their family members use their T-Mobile phones and service.

With Family Allowances, parents can give teens an upfront monthly wireless allowance, eliminating the worry of surprise overages. Parents set and change limits for minutes, messages and downloads (games, ringtones and wallpaper) using an online tool. Once the allowance is reached, the feature shuts off service for that specific element and parents receive a notification.

Numbers setup on "Always Allowed" will continue to call, even after allowances have been spent. Unlimited calling features such as myFaves and T-Mobile-to-T-Mobile, can also still be used.

Parents can establish limits on the time of day a phone may be used, set allowances to zero to prohibit the use of minutes, messages or downloads, and establish numbers that are blocked from calling or sending messages.

"Parents across the country want their teens to have a mobile phone to stay in contact, but also want that phone to be used responsibly," said Lisa Brown, director, marketing at T-Mobile USA. "With Family Allowances, parents get peace of mind knowing they can reach their sons and daughters, without having to worry about surprise bills. They can also reward their teens for responsible phone use by increasing their allowance."

Family Allowances will be available in the coming weeks at retail stores and online for an introductory rate of $2 per month on top of a current family plan.