What can I do to limit mobile phone costs?
Use pre-paid mobile phones or special offers from mobile phone providers that limit your handy costs to a predefined maximum per month.

Be aware that the usage of certain mobile services can be expensive (e.g., MMS, mobile phone chats). Be especially careful with premium services, such as premium SMS. Simply, these are services such as directory inquiries, weather forecasts, voting for reality TV shows, download of ring tones etc. which cost customers more than regular mobile services. When consumers buy ring tones or download logos, for example, they may be automatically ordering a subscription without realising it. Premium service numbers usually start with short codes (e.g. prefixes 60 61, 62 or 64 etc. in the UK). If you are having problems with premium texts, contact your mobile operator who may be able to bar that number or can certainly provide more specific advice on how to stop losing money from them.

You should not let other people use your mobile phone except in an emergency, and only if you are present. Never leave your mobile unattended.

As a parent, remain a trusted contact person for your children when problems with high mobile phone bills occur in your family. Do not flip out ;) It is crucial to keep the lines of communication open at all times.

Be extra careful with mobile phone costs when you are abroad. A recent European regulation now limits costs on receiving and making phone calls within Europe, however the lower rates do not apply for countries in the rest of the world.

More information on the Eurotariff:

Tips for saving money when you use your mobile phone abroad, especially in non-EU countries:

• Find out which operator is the least expensive then choose this operator manually on your mobile phone. The instruction manual of your mobile phone will show you how this works.
• Be aware of passive fees (you will be also charged for receiving phone calls abroad) and costs for accessing and forwarding unanswered calls to your mobile mailbox.
• Use SMS and call shops as a cheaper alternative.
• Data roaming can be very expensive, also in the EC

What are the benefits of using mobile phones?
Mobile communication devices can offer freedom and independence and are an excellent way for young people to communicate with friends. As the technology improves, they are increasingly becoming a good source of entertainment. They provide important safety benefits too, enabling a young person to make contact and be contacted; they can also act as a location finder for emergency services.

What are the risks when using mobile phones?

-Contact: some children have been sexually harassed after contact through mobile phone, and bullying via the mobile phone is common. Children are often reluctant to discuss such problems.

-Theft: expensive mobile handsets are often stolen, and children may be mugged or physically attacked for their handsets.

-Spam: Most children with mobile phones have received some form of SMS spam. Some of these services are charged at a premium rate (i.e. a surcharge) and may be difficult to stop.

- Photographs and videos: many mobile phones now include cameras. Photos and videos are often taken without permission and forwarded to friends or websites (see below).

-Supervision: children normally use mobile phones when they are alone, so it is much more difficult for parents to monitor

-Advertising and sales pressure: children may receive advertising content via SMS, and some services for children allow them to pay for goods using their phone credit.

-Health issues: evidence is inconclusive, but some people fear that prolonged use of mobile phones may give rise to health concerns (see below).

What are the safety consequences of mobiles having full internet access?
More and more mobile phones have full internet access. That is why the same safety measures as for surfing on the web become important (protection of personal data, harmful content, consumer protection, gaming etc.). The very size of mobile phones means that in one sense they are very personal items and it is much more difficult for parents and carers to monitor and supervise access and contacts in the same way they can when using a PC. Age verification will help, but children and young people will be able to find ways around this. Again, good communication is the key.

Mobile usage is characterised by its ubiquity. For this reason, it is more difficult for parents to be informed about and control children’s using habits. Contact your mobile phone operator to find out if there are age verification or filter systems available.

Are mobile phones a threat for my health?
According to what we know today, reasonable limits on mobile phone use protect against health problems. But: Nobody can fully prove that anything is totally harmless.

Here you can find some tips to be on the safe side. These tips are especially important for children. As their bodies are still developing, they may react more sensitively.

• Use your mobile phone only for short calls.
• Avoid using your mobile phone if there is only a weak signal because, in this case, your mobile increases transmitting power and radiation. The display of your mobile shows the strength of the signal.
• Use head-sets.
• When you send SMS or MMS don’t hold the mobile phone near your head.
• When you establish a mobile phone connection, transmitting power is at its highest. Therefore don’t lift your mobile to your ear until the person at the other end has picked up the phone. A new connection is also established when your mobile phone changes the radio cell. This happens quite often when you are travelling in a car.

What do I have to take into account when using a mobile phone camera?
When publishing pictures and videos, be aware of the following aspects:

Pay attention to copyright. This is especially important if pictures show people in what could be deemed as an inappropriate context. In order to avoid copyright problems: If you want to take pictures of other people, ask for their approval first. National awareness nodes will provide you with detailed information about respective copyright laws.

Privacy: You do not have control of pictures that you have distributed with your mobile phone. Pictures published on the web can be viewed worldwide by everybody. Think about potential consequences, e.g. pictures make it easier to identify you in the real world and you might not want to be seen in certain contexts by everybody.

Once pictures are published on the web, they may be stored forever, also in contexts other than those originally intended. Be aware that some pictures should not be seen e.g. by a future employer. Ask yourself if you could feel embarrassed about them at a later point of time.

This video helps to explain this important message to children and young people.

What are the most important tips against bullying and grooming through mobile phones (see also section “Bullying”)?

Tips for children:

• Ethical behaviour is important on mobile phones too – bullying is not acceptable!
• Preventive measures: Do not publish sensitive personal information
• Save the evidence
• Ignore the cyberbully. Try switching off the phone sometimes. The bully might get bored.
• Leave your name off the voicemail message, so bullies won’t be certain who it is they are calling
• Talk to your parents, teacher or a trustworthy person, do not suffer alone
• Remember, do not reply to the text or message, and show it to an adult.

Tips for parents:

• Discuss ethical behaviour on the mobile phone with your child.
• Discuss cyberbullying with your child.
• Be aware of signs that your child is a target of cyberbullying (e.g., emotional upset; avoidance of friends, school, activities; decline in grades, subtle comments that reflect disturbed online or offline relationships).
• Do not restrict mobile phone use as a reaction to cyberbullying, because then children may not tell you if they are bullied.
• Contact a school counsellor, the cyberbully’s parents, the phone company or, if cyberbullying appears to be a crime, contact the police.
• Change your child’s mobile phone number (but only as a last resort).

Tips against grooming:

Grooming describes the behaviour of individuals with a sexual interest in children using mobile and online technologies to identify and target potential victims (see also question “What is grooming?” in the section “Child Pornography”).

• Withhold personal contact details
• Save copies of conversations, if possible
• Hold back when questions of a sexual nature arise, and stop uncomfortable conversations
• Say no to face-to-face meetings if something seems suspicious and, if you do decide to meet somebody face-to-face, take your parent or a trusted adult along with you and always inform your parents of where you are going.
• Do not leave your personal details on websites or blogs (e.g. name of your school, home address, the youth centre you attend, age, school year, mobile number, telephone number etc.)

What should I keep in mind when I make an emergency call?
Use the European emergency call number 112. It works in all European countries. When you visit non-European countries, be sure to get information about local emergency call numbers.

The advantages of the 112 emergency number are:

• You have just a single number to remember
• Calling is cost-free
• 112 calls have priority for all mobile operators
• You don’t even need a SIM card

More information:

When calling an emergency number give a clear and exact report:

What happened?

When did it happen?

Where did it happen?

How many people are injured?

Who is calling?

Do not hang up until the operator tells you to, otherwise you might forget to give important information.But remember, misuse of an emergency number is a legally punishable offence.

Now go to your national node’s website to find useful links and further information.