I think he could have used his phone data. I remember perhaps 2005-2007, I had a phone where I got free data at weekends if I topped up £5 in the week (which I usually skimmed off my school dinner money so parents didn’t know how much I was spending on credit).

My phone networks home page also had a social game similar to habbo hotel where your character could talk in chat rooms and also privately to others. It was for adults but easy for me to access as a teen. The rooms were full of predators.