A South Korean woman talks on her mobile phone in Seoul.
© AFP/File Emmanuel DunardSEOUL (AFP) - "I think this is the first system in the world aimed at guiding teenagers to use their cell phones responsibly," said Hong Sung-Wan, of the telecommunications ministry.
Starting from early next year, a separate contract will be introduced for teen subscribers.
It will clearly recommend that teenagers and their parents join an existing bill ceiling system under which teenagers cannot spend more than the equivalent of 40 dollars a month.
The contract will also advise teenagers and their parents on how to prevent the excessive use of services.
"The new regulations are aimed at providing the parents with means to put tabs on their children's use of mobile services and control it," said Hong.
According to government statistics, more than four million of the country's six million teenagers have their own mobile phones.
"The number of teenagers who are aged between 13 and 18 and are charged more than 100,000 won (108 dollars) every month is 100,000," Hong told AFP, adding that favourite services include online games and text messages.
The JoongAng daily said a 17-year-old boy killed himself in February after ringing up 3.7 million won (4,021 dollars) in charges from playing an online game over his mobile phone.
According to the Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion, four out of 10 teenagers use their mobile phones during classes at school.
Under the new regulations, phone bills for teenagers will also include more details about the services they use and the calls they make.
To help prevent teens from logging on to online adult content, the ministry and telecommunication companies will start a campaign to urge teenagers to use their own names, not their parents, when they subscribe.
©AFP