Despite the rise of mobile phones across almost every demographic of UK society, it seems the number of children who own their own handset is going down.
A new report from Ofcom reveals that the number of 5 to 15-year-olds who own a mobile phone has fallen from 49% in 2012 to 43% in 2013. The reason? They’re rejecting basic ‘feature phones’ and getting their parents to buy them tablets instead, with uptake this year tripling – up to 42% from 14% in 2012.
More specifically, the percentage of younger children (8-11) who own a basic feature phone rather than a smartphone fell to 15% this year, from 28% last year. Of this age group, 18% own a smartphone, and the same proportion own a tablet, with ownership growing four-fold since 2012.
Among slightly older children, smartphones still remain more widely used than tablets with roughly 62% of 12 to 15-year-olds owning a smartphone, with 26% now possessing a tablet, up from 7% last year. A little more than a quarter of infants aged 3-4 now use a tablet at home too.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
You can read the full report in the link below.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.