UK kids blow more than £1bn a year on mobile phones according to research released yesterday.

Parents are so concerned about the spiralling cost of using mobiles they want operators to do more to help them control their children's spending, while three in ten reckon cellcos aren't interested in their concerns, according to mobile billing outfit Convergys.

Nine in ten parents have opted for pay-as-you-go services to try and keep a lid on their kids' spending, Convergys says/

For those on contract services, half of parents want a "heads up" alert when their child's spending nears a pre-set limit.

Said Jean-Hervé Jenn from Convergys: "The mobile phone operators may want to become much more attuned to parental concerns.

"Operators need to recognise that parents and children constitute a distinct group amongst their customers who have particular requirements."

One in four parents say their kids have wasted money on premium rate services such as ringtones, while 16 per cent feel they spend too much of their pocket money on their phone. ®

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