Ramón is in the doghouse. After they were hit for a EUR 50 bill in May, his parents have taken away his cell phone. The problem isn't that Ramón makes too many calls: EUR 40 of the bill was due to text messages he sent to take part in a raffle to win a car.

Aged 11, Ramón is one of the 78 percent of Spanish adolescents with a cell phone.

In 2004, 45.7 percent of Spanish children aged between 10 and 15 had a cell phone. By 2007, that figure had grown to 64.7 percent, according to the National Statistics Institute.

In response, the telephone companies have brought out special contracts for children aimed at preventing cases like Ramón's, by restricting access to certain types of numbers.

But consumer groups have criticised the phone companies, saying that they are targeting future users.

"Children, along with the elderly, are the only members of society that do not have cell phones, and companies are trying to attract them at younger ages," says Rubén Sánchez, a spokesman for the Federation of Consumers in Action (Facua).

But the phone companies say that they are responding to market demand.

"Parents want their children to have a phone so that they know where they are: we are aware of the responsibility involved. A cell phone requires correct use," argues José Manuel Sedes, head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Vodaphone, Spain's number-two cell phone provider.

"We offer systems that prevent children accessing adult content or with filters that limit certain types of numbers," he explains.

Parents' biggest headaches come with companies that offer downloads at premium rates: a normal SMS text message costs around EUR 0.11, but premium rates rise to between EUR 1.20 and EUR 6.

The figures speak for themselves: 77 percent of children have downloaded ringtones, 68 percent have done the same to acquire screensavers, and 72 percent of children say that they have received SMS messages inviting them to take part in lotteries or gambling, says Protégeles, a parents/children consumer watchdog specialising in new technology.

"They are the perfect consumers," says Ramón's mother, Merche: "malleable, easily seduced, and unaware of the costs involved."

This type of commercial SMS "junk message" is being singled out as a major concerns for parents, and indeed for cell phone users across the board. In response, the Industry Ministry has drawn up a new regulation allowing users to block the sending of high-cost messages.

In this way, consumers contracted to a particular cell phone operator will be able to ask their company to disconnect them from premium SMS services.

Organisations like Protégeles recommend that parents do not pass on their old cell phones to their children, and that they take out specific contracts limiting the types of calls and SMS that can be sent.

This also constitutes the best way, says the organization, to prevent children from receiving adult content or from accessing chatrooms used by paedophiles.

Protégeles says that children shouldn't be using cell phones until they are at least 13, although they have now become increasingly common as a present at first communion ceremonies.

"He uses it to let me know where he is, at the weekends, when he goes off cycling. We feel a lot more secure," says one mother, whose 12-year-old has a cell phone.

Along with her husband, she has attended a course on the relationship between new technology and young people at her son's school. "They gave us advice on how to teach him to use the phone," she says.

Organisations like Facua say that a growing number of studies point to the negative impact on children of cell phone use.

Young people can become addicted to using their cell phones, leading to stress and tiredness.

Protégeles says that its studies show that one in three minors felt anxious when their phone was taken away from them; 11 percent of children admit to having lied to their parents about phone use, and some to having stolen money to pay for extra credit.

The under-18s are a fast-growing market for products associated with cell phones, such as ringtones, screensavers, music downloads, and games.

Some companies now offer guidelines on use.

Who are they calling?
Experts say children should be limited to calling a small number of people. Most firms now offer a number-limit service.

Internet
Most cell phones now offer internet access. Again, this facility can be blocked or restricted. Children's contracts usually include filters that limit the sites they can visit.

Accessories
An SMS to download a ringtone or screensaver can cost over EUR 1. Parents can limit the type of SMS that can be sent from their children's set, and depending on the contract, can see where their children's messages are being sent.

Overconsumption
Around 25 percent of children with a cell phone spend more than EUR 20 a month, and some 18 percent between EUR 20 and EUR 40, according to Protégeles. Phone companies and consumer associations recommend that parents limit phone use and teach children to control their calls.

Bluetooth
Experts say  it is best not to activate this transmission mode. This prevents the phone from being detected by other users, reducing the risk of receiving unsolicited SMS, something that has happened to almost 70 percent of children.

[El Pais / Maria R. Sahuquillo / Expatica]