It's always been known that South Koreans love their phones. And teenagers love them too much, according to the South Korean government. It plans to introduce new rules that will regulate teenagers' use of mobile phones, because the expensive bills are becoming a problem for their parents. Beginning next year, mobile operators will offer a separate contract for teen subscribers that will recommend that parents use a bill ceiling system that will keep teenagers from spending more than U.S. $40 per month. According to government statistics, more than 4 million of the country's 6 million teenagers own their own mobile phones. The average bill for a teenager between 13 and 18 years old is about $100 per month. The new regulations will also detail where teenagers can use their phones, since usage during class is becoming a problem. It will be interesting to see the financial impact of this new regulation on the nation's operators, who are already quite heavily regulated in terms of how much they can subsidize phones. Article
