Pupils to get download lessons

10.03.2010

Industry watchdog PhonepayPlus aims to educate pupils about mobile download costs.

by Rune H. Rasmussen

According to new research, a third of 11 to 17-year-olds who subscribe to premium rate services on their mobiles have no idea about the download charges.

Lessons are needed
Industry watchdog PhonepayPlus have launched a new initiative called PhoneBrain 2010. Pupils at 1,000 secondary schools across England and Wales are being taught about the way premium rate phone services are marketed and how the charging systems work. Hopefully, this will help teenagers avoid running up big bills.

Many companies bury information
In many cases, the companies that provide the services may not be breaking industry rules, but on the other hand, they don’t go out of their way to make their pricing clear either.

"What we have a problem with is when companies bury the information in the small print or make it difficult to see what they are going to be charged at the time," said Simon Bates from PhonepayPlus to BBC.

Last year, PhonepayPlus received 14,000 complaints about premium rate services. According to them, that number is coming down, but Bates claims young people can do more to protect themselves:

"If you are receiving text messages that you don't want to receive any more, just reply to them with the word "stop" and that company must stop sending you messages."

Source:
BBC: Pupils in England and Wales to get 'download lessons'

Important to ensure a sound and safe mobile media
Oystein Samnoen, Director of Kids and Media, believes this campaign is relevant and needed:

“Identifying and understanding costs and consequences in order to make critical choices is becoming a crucial ability among younger and younger children.”

“At the same time, it is important to make sure that the framework around children's use of mobile media is healthy. I feel that the commercial mobile sector has developed a subculture where many seek to charge children as much as possible. Both the mobile sector and governmental sector have a responsibility to ensure a sound and safe mobile media for children, and to provide parents with critical information and tools in order to enable them to guide their children on the mobile area.”