Context: India has 919.17 million cell phone users, second only to China. Youth spend significantly on talk time and handset purchases. Aim: Assess economic burden and cell phone disposal practices among medical students. Methodology: Cross-sectional study with self-filled questionnaire among 311 students (133 males, 178 females). Mean monthly expenditure Rs. 2787. Only 2 boys (0.64%) did not use cell phones. Boys spent more on handsets than girls. Main reason for changing handsets: outdated (46.14%). Disposal: 47.13% exchanged or gave away, 36.57% discarded. Conclusion: Students should be counseled on cost-effective usage and environmentally friendly disposal. © 2013 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.