The New South Wales government says mobile phone debt is sending more and more young Australians bankrupt.
Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney says a survey conducted by the Office of Fair Trading shows massive bills being racked up often unknowingly by phone users.
She says they can suddenly get a bill for $3,000 or $4,000 because they thought services like downloads and ringtones and voting on Big Brother were free.
Ms Burney says financial counselling services report a rising rate of phone users in their late teens and early 20 wanting to declare themselves bankrupt.