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This is rubbish.

I work in telecoms and there’s no way a device can still connect to data services (excluding WiFi) whilst in airplane mode, unless the device is faulty.
 
More likely the parent(s) set the phone on airplane mode when they handed the phone to the kid, and the kid - either knowingly or unknowingly then proceeded to take it off airplane mode and onto the roaming network while overseas to download a game and killed the bill..
 
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Roaming rates need a cap. A few hundred I understand but no way did it cost T-Mobile $13k assuming he did use data.
 
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