Many high school and college students accustomed to sending unlimited instant messages on their computers do not adapt easily to text messaging’s pay-per-message format, and end up with unexpectedly high bills when they get involved in keypad conversations that involve hundreds, even thousands, of messages a month. The results are angry confrontations with parents, long-term payment plans and the loss of cellphone privileges.–Lisa W. Foderaro —Young Cell Users Rack Up Debt, a Message at a Time (NY Times)
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Thanks for the explanation, Torill. I know that the US is a little behind much of Europe, Japan, Israel and other places when it comes to integrating SMS into culture.
This is only until the children and their parents have figured out the costs of the text-messaging. It was a big issue some years ago in Norway, now people find ways to negotiate this before they agree to letting a teenager have a cellphone, and get good deals with the phone companies. Sms messages is the medium of daily planning in many a regular Norwegian family.
One thing which is a shock when Europeans meet American cellphone bills is that you guys get charged for receiving calls and messages. The companies get paid twice for the same service! That’s the thing we really don’t get.