Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is co-sponsoring a bill to require parental consent for anyone under 21 who wants to get a credit card, in an effort to cut down on the amount of debt young people accrue.

Schumer says the average college student in New York will graduate with $4,100 in credit card debt. As part of the bill, limits would be placed on credit card solicitations to students, and applicants under 21 would have to take a financial education course. The senator blames the escalating problem on easy access to credit and credit card companies bombarding students with enticing offers for pre-approved credit cards.

NYIT student Mena Yacoub says he has about $2,000 in credit card debt. He has dreams of becoming a doctor, but feels his debt looming over him.

?I don't know what to do,? Yacoub says. ?Sometimes I worry at night.?

However, some say getting the OK from parents might not make that much of a difference. Rakesh Gupta, interim dean of Adelphi University's School of Business, says many parents are also uneducated about credit card terms and the fine print. He says education is the key.

Many colleges and universities on Long Island won?t allow credit card companies to market to students on campus. However, banks are still allowed to offer other financial products like checking accounts. Schools say they can't stop banks from sending credit applications once they have a student?s address.