Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Parents think 11 is the most appropriate age for first mobile


Parents think 11 is the most appropriate age for first mobile

The majority of British parents think 11 years-old is the appropriate age to let children have their first mobile phone, according to a new report.

Home screen of Apple iPhone 3GS
The majority of parents regard the age of 11as the appropriate age to buy a child a mobile. Photo: Alamy
More than 1,000 young people, aged between eight and 18 were polled, along with their families, and the majority of parents admitted to caving to pressure to give their child a phone by the time they were 11.
Parents also revealed that they are generally willing to pay around £20 a month to cover their children’s mobile bills.
The study, conducted by consumer research group Intersperience, as part of a larger report called ‘Digital Futures’, also found that 42 per cent of children want to use a mobile phone to control other devices, such as the television, in the future, compared to just 24 per cent of adults.
How old should children be before they can have a mobile phone?
Children are unsurprisingly keener to embrace new technology, such as using their mobiles to pay for goods in the future. Thirty-three per cent of the children polled expect to be using their phones as a credit card soon.
Eight to 11 year-olds also have the highest expectations from mobiles of the future with a strong emphasis on interconnectivity with entertainment functions such as gaming and movies.
Paul Hudson, Intersperience’s chief executive said: “For under-18s the future is uncompromisingly mobile. They have a vision of a powerful multi-functional mobile which can connect with and control an array of other devices and services from a Sky+ box to home heating or lighting systems and functions we haven’t even thought of yet.”
“Children’s view of the future is defined by far greater inter-connectivity between devices than their parents who regard even smartphones as primarily a phone that happens to do other things. The onus is on suppliers to develop innovative services in future that fit the lifestyle and aspirations of a new breed of ‘connected customers.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/9093091/Parents-think-11-is-the-most-appropriate-age-for-first-mobile.html#disqus_thread

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