Disney, the second-biggest US media company, is targeting 20 million to 30 million US children ages 10 to 15, Wadsworth said.

The service is the second agreement between Burbank, California-based Disney and Sprint Nextel, the No. 3 US mobile-phone services provider. At the Super Bowl in February, Disney debuted its ESPN Mobile service that offers sports, news and statistics as well as audio and video.

"The real focus of this service is around the feature set and functionality to address parents' needs," Wadsworth said. "It's not about delivering rich media to a handset today."

The service will allow restrictions on phone numbers and let parents locate their children with a global positioning system, Disney said in a statement.

Phones will be sold online and in US mall kiosks starting in June, and at retail stores later in the year, Disney said. One phone will be offered from Pantech Co for US$59.99 and another from LG Electronics Inc for US$109.99, each when bought with a two-year service agreement.

Len Lauer, chief operating officer of Reston, Virginia-based Sprint Nextel, said that the ESPN and Disney products are geared toward audiences with specific demands. Lauer, speaking at the CTIA Wireless 2006 trade show in Las Vegas on Tuesday, wouldn't discuss details of either service.

The service grew out of research that showed parents want to communicate with their children at important times and know where they are, Wadsworth said.

"We did not hear, 'Gee, I want to get a phone for my kid so they can watch a TV show on it,"' Wadsworth said.

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