Posted on 09/20/2006 3:52:42 AM PDT by dennisw
Some 51 percent of all 10-year-olds in Britain own a mobile phone, but that figure rises to 91 percent by the time children hit the age of 12, according to a survey.
The Mobile Life Youth Report released Tuesday, which was commissioned by mobile phone retailer The Carphone Warehouse and advised by the London School of Economics, found that most children used their phones to text rather than talk.
On average, 11- to 17-year-olds send 9.6 text messages a day, almost three times as many as their parents and makes or receives on average 3.5 calls a day. Adults make or receive 2.8 calls and send 3.6 texts on a daily basis.
The growing importance of, and reliance on, mobile phones was highlighted in the study, which was carried out by pollsters YouGov on 1,250 children aged 11 to 17.
Some 78 percent said having a mobile phone made it easier to keep in contact with friends while 42 percent of girls aged 15 to 17 said they would feel "unwanted" if a day went by without a mobile phone call.
Other uses include escaping their parents: one in three youngsters said they talk regularly to and/or send texts to people they do not want their parents to know about.
Texting has also revolutionised dating: a quarter of 11- to 17-year-olds have received an SMS asking them out on a date, while 16- and 17-year-olds are almost twice as likely to be asked out by text than those aged 25 plus.
No way is it this bad here ... I hope.
Went up the hill
to fetch more bars from the tower.
I don't know. We purchased a family plan and gave my teenager a cell phone when he started driving (so he was 16.) He's 18 now, and I think all his friends have a cell phone.
On a positive note, I think a cell phone can be used to teach a certain level of restraint and responsibility. We have a family plan that allows free minutes between family members (the reason we purchased the phone was for "us" to be able to communicate.) We intentionally purchased a low amount of minutes, 400 per month, and all of us share those minutes, so the "teenager" knows he has to use restraint in making calls.
In the 2 years we've had the plan, we've only gone over our "minutes" once (and that was due to lots of calls being made during a medical emergency within the family,) so I think there is a positive side that can be taught through budgeting cell phone minutes, only talking when absolutely necessary, learning to exercise restraint, etc.
I guess the next innovation will be a cell phone that takes photos and video and can store and playback tunes, images and movies.
I have 4 teenage daughters and they all have a cell phone too.
It has allowed me twice in 5 years to figure out that they were not in the place they were suposed to be. If they don't answer they are in trouble.
We live in Richmond where there is always a signal so they can't use that excuse.
Oddly ( since she was normally disagreeable about most everything ) we saw eye-to-eye on this one-- that with so many bad things and bad people our in the modern world, you needed a way to stay in touch with, and be available for, your children.
I've got no problem with kids having cellphones as long as they don't talk or text while they're driving.
Get them Wherifones kid-tracking GPS phones, and you can map their locations in real-time!
hehe- I hate it when they do that when they are sitting at the same dinner table.
I did the same. My company pays for my phone and all I need to cover is the extra line fee for my wife and 16 YO daughter. My plan has far more minutes that I ever use, but I'm not telling her that. She's very mature in some areas, so I don't anticipate any problems. Also, our package does not include text messaging. If she wants that, she's paying for it.
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