Europe children cell use ahead of U.S. -- for good, bad
BY LARRY MAGID
Special to the San Jose Mercury News
December 13, 2001
When it comes to PC technology, the United States is usually a step or two ahead of the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. But not when it comes to cell phones, especially in the hands of children. Mobile phones, as they're called in Europe, are extremely popular among teens and even younger children. Many parents insist that their kids use a "pay as you talk" plan. Instead of subscribing to a service and being billed for usage, kids spend about $70 for a phone and then buy "top off'' cards that allow them to use their phone until the value of the card has been used up.
They're similar to the long distance phone cards that you can buy in this country at convenience stores and vending machines. Parents use them to enforce a budget, but unlike a regular account there are no billing records to keep track of incoming or outgoing calls.
Cell-phone use is becoming common in the United States, but in London it's far more ubiquitous and starts at a younger age. On the top level of one of those red double decker buses last week, I saw several children and teens -- some as young as about 8 -- playing with their phones. Some were talking, others were playing games and a couple were "texting.'' That's the term for sending and receiving short messages or instant messages from phone to phone or between a mobile phone and a PC.
The phenomenon is like the instant messaging craze that's common among American youths, but in Britain and much of the rest of the world, kids don't have to remain tethered to their PCs to exchange messages. They get messages wherever they happen to be. School authorities in Norway have had to crack down on their use in classrooms, according to Trond Waage, the Norwegian Ombudsman for Children, who said that short messaging is replacing paper as a means for kids to "pass notes in class.''
Short messaging will clearly catch on in the United States over the next couple of years. Already, several U.S. companies are offering the service. AT&T Wireless lets you send text messages for 10 cents per message and has an unlimited-use plan for $4.99 a month.
Text messaging is more popular outside the United States because many countries have standardized on interconnected GSM networks. Users can easily send messages to others, regardless of what mobile phone service they use or, for that matter, what country they're in. Another advantage to the GSM networks is that travelers can use their phones when they're abroad -- as long as they don't come to the United States. At a meeting in London a colleague exchanged text messages with a friend in another country. As the lone American in attendance, I was the only one who couldn't use his own cell phone.
The proliferation of mobile phones to children and the popularity of text messaging is a double-edged sword. On the positive side, it allows parents to get in touch with their kids and it gives the kids a way of checking in with Mom or Dad or summoning help in an emergency. It also makes it a lot easier for kids to stay in touch with their friends.
``Mobile phones are something that kids have with them all the time. It's a very personal communications media,'' said Nigel Williams, CEO of Childnet International, a London-based non-profit organization concerned about child safety on the Internet. ``It's even more personal than a computer,'' he added. "You don't see kids connected to the Internet via laptops all the time, but with texting, it's a bit like that.''
But Williams is concerned that mobile phone messaging could contribute to the same risks kids face when they're online. Williams' organization operates a chat safety web site at www.chatdanger.com.
He points to cases where kids have given out their mobile number in Internet chat rooms and then later been approached by adults or other kids wanting to establish contact. Unlike the chat room, the child may be away from their home while using the mobile phone and could be tempted to get together with the person who is contacting them.
Even if there is no physical contact, says Williams, it is not uncommon for kids to be harassed on their mobile phones by adults or other children.
"Giving out one's mobile number to someone online is a significant risk because it allows someone to get very close to them and continually badger them -- to send them messages when they're at home -- when they're at school or to bully them verbally by sending them nasty text message that are difficult to get away from,'' Williams said.
Kids in Europe are dealing mostly with text messages but, in Japan, there are now I-Mode phones that also allow users to exchange digital photographs, which create an even greater danger for kids, according to Williams who worries that predators might use these phones to send images to children and encourage them to send picture back.
As a parent, I'm all for letting kids use mobile phones, as long as they use them safely, courteously and economically. And I certainly like the idea of being able to send text messages or even photographs. Who knows, someday, when my kids are grown, they'll probably be able to use their mobile phones to send us real time video images of the grandchildren. The technology and, hopefully, my kids will need to mature a bit before then, but it's something to look forward to.
Larry Magid is a technology journalist and commentator based in Palo Alto. Contact him at larry@safekids.com
