Young people are voracious mobile phone users...

...and are engaging with phone-paid services in growing numbers.

For example, the people at mobileYouth reckon that in the UK, 74% of 13 to 15 year olds and 62% of 16 to 18 year olds have at some point used their mobile phone to buy and download a mobile ringtone.

Most of these mobile ringtones (as well as voting on reality TV shows, using a directory enquires service or entering a competition) are accessed via premium rate numbers, and are therefore considered phone-paid services.

So it's important that young people understand the threats and opportunities that come with using premium rate numbers, and that they know where to turn if they have questions or encounter problems.

Find out about PhonepayPlus

Find out about Phone-paid services

Here's the PhoneBrain ICT lesson in action!

• What's it all about?

  PhoneBrain is the brain child of PhonepayPlus, the UK regulator for phone-paid services, and was set up to educate young people about these services - including the costs involved and how to make use of them without getting ripped off.
  Find out more about PhoneBrain and PhonepayPlus

• Enterprise Teaching Resources - Competition to come up with a new business idea

  Challenge your students to come up with their own new phone-paid service idea and to enter the PhoneBrain Enterprise competition. They can win the chance to pitch to Peter Jones of Dragons' Den and Phones International fame - and also get involved with the new National Enterprise Academy being set up by the Peter Jones Foundation.
  Find out more - download the lesson plan and other teaching resources, including the competition brief, here

• ICT Teaching Resources - Challenge your students to create their own ringtone

  Help your kids to learn and use new ICT skills by creating personalised video ringtones for their mobile phones, using music and images provided by the Ministry of Sound.
  Find out more – download the lesson plan and 'how to' ICT tutorials here