New research commissioned by phone-paid services regulator PhonepayPlus has revealed that parents are handing out more pocket money to kids in the form of payment or credit for their phone bills. 35% of parents of children with a mobile phone who give the child an allowance said the amount they give their child has increased since they have had a mobile phone.
32% of these parents say their child spends at least 50% of their pocket money allowance on their mobile phone bill or pay-as-you-go credit. And 29% of those questioned said they give their child more than 15 per month to use on their phone
When it comes to spending this money, ringtones, wallpapers and games are extremely popular with children. The PhonepayPlus research shows that 37% of 11-17 year olds have used music or video content on their phone in the past six months. However, only 35% of adults questioned in the research said they understand what these phone-paid services are, meaning theres a big knowledge gap when it comes to what childrens pocket money is being spent on.
To help educate children about mobile phones and phone-paid services, PhonepayPlus is today launching PhoneBrain, a classroom-based scheme supported by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), for the second year.
PhoneBrain challenges children to create a business plan for a phone-paid service, or to make their own avatar and ringtone, while at the same time learning how to use their mobile phone safely, and gaining an understanding of how things are charged to their mobile phone bill.
PhoneBrain explains how to use phone-paid services, such as voting on TV shows, entering competitions, and downloading mobile games and ringtones, safely to avoid unexpected charges.
The DCSF supports PhoneBrain, which sees teachers, regulators and industry working together to make sure young people can use new technology such as Smartphones safely and with confidence, says Iain Wright MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for 14-19 Reform and Apprenticeships. PhoneBrain delivers a clear message to young people in a fun way: be sure and be confident about what you buy on your phone.
This year, PhonepayPlus has teamed up with Habbo, the virtual world and social networking site popular with teenagers; and Fugative, the 16-year-old independent music artist, producer and publisher, to help teens use the skills they learn in the classroom to develop an animated Habbo avatar mobile ringtone, create their own phone-paid service business plan, or both.
Using Adobe software, young people are challenged to create a mobile ringtone using a Habbo avatar and exclusive music content, provided by Fugative and his label, Hard2Beat Records. Fugative is also inviting students to create a ringtone for his mobile, with the chance to win VIP tickets to one of his concerts.
Children are also encouraged to create a business plan for an innovative, new phone-paid service, taking into consideration the rules that apply to providers of these types of service. These budding entrepreneurs will be able to submit their proposals to be judged by a panel of experts, with finalists winning a half-day shadowing Fugative to get a feel for an typical day in the music business.
“Young people enjoy buying the latest content for their mobile, but a small minority are still falling foul of confusing pricing or unclear subscription charges, and could lose their credit or rack up large bills, says PhonepayPlus Chief Executive, Paul Whiteing. PhoneBrain aims to give students the confidence to enjoy these services, knowing theyll get what they wanted at the price they expected to pay.
The winners of the PhoneBrain ICT and Enterprise challenges will be announced in late May/early June. Theres more information on the PhoneBrain project here.
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