| Mobile Phones are Youngsters’ "Must-Haves" | ||
| 2/2/01 | ||
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Its mobile phones in the news again. Kids just love their mobile phones, according to the results of new NOP research just released. Nearly half (48%) of all UK 7 to 16 year olds are now believed to own one, with slightly more girls (52%) than boys (44%) being in touch. Looked at in more detail, the survey findings reveal some other important top-line mobile phone trends for the young. These include the facts that:
The young also appear to use their mobiles in different ways to older generations. In this sense, the survey points to the popularity of sending text messages among kids. The average 7 to 16 year old user sends an average of 2.5 text messages a day, exceeding the average two voice calls they make each day. Once again, it is the 14 to16 year olds that lead the way, sending an average of just over three text messages a day each. Commenting on the research findings, Emma Williamson, associate director of NOP Family said, "Kids, and especially those in their mid-teens, guard their privacy jealously. Privacy is something that often may not be available to them at school or in the home, so they view SMS texting as the ideal way in which to communicate confidentially with one another. Parents frequently give their child a mobile phone for use in emergencies or in the belief that it will help them keep tabs on their offspring. Kids, though, have been quick to turn the mobile phone to their own advantage." | ||
