Walk past any school playground these days and you’ll see kids texting, surfing or talking on their phones. Meet Generation Mobile. They’re more connected than any other age group and more passionate about their smartphones. Don’t believe us? Then check out these 5 reasons why your kids are growing up as mobile wizards.
They own more mobile phones than ever
As long ago as 2004, the Guardian newspaper was reporting the growth of mobile phone ownership in British under-10s. That’s when 38% had one. Now the most recent research from GFK shows that 90% of under 16’s have a mobile phone. Devices are so popular that many schools have even banned them. In New York, for example, school kids pay a dollar a day to store their mobiles.
They surf more than ever
Not only are kids some of the most enthusiastic mobile phone owners, but they’re also the most enthusiastic users. Research company Nielsen recently discovered that data usage amongst US teens had quadrupled between 2009 and 2010. Here’s what they said: “Much of this boost is led by males, who are more gadget-savvy and consume 75 MB of data, versus 17 MB in Q2 last year. Teen females use about 53 MB of data, compared to 11 MB a year ago.” Great news for parents paying the bills!
They text more than anyone
And it’s not just surfing that has increased amongst teens. In 2008 38% of teens sent text messages daily. In September 2009, Pew found that the figure had shot up to 54%. But it’s when you hear about the quantity, you realize how geeky your kids are. Half of US teens send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month, and one in three send more than 100 texts a day, or more than 3,000 texts a month. Teen girls aged 14-17 are the texting champions. On average they send 100 texts a day. Perhaps most amazingly, 42% of teens say they can text blindfolded!
They’re already making apps
While their predecessors, the so-called Generation Y, are known for being early adopters, this generation of mobile geeks are also early developers. Indonesian Fahma Waluya Rosmansyah spends his free time creating games that help Indonesian children learn English language and basic maths skills. With the massive growth in apps, it might not seem so surprising that Fahma is jumping on the bandwagon, until you discover that he is only twelve.
They can’t live without their mobile
We all know how important mobile phones have become in our lives, but 57% of American teens say that their phone is key to their social lives. And second only to clothes, “their mobile device tells the most about their social status or popularity, outranking jewelry, watches and shoes”. 83% of them use their phones to take pictures and 63% use them to send pictures, meaning they’re recording their mobile lives more than any other generation.
Pretty conclusive evidence, we think, that your kids are mobile wizards. Does any of this data surprise you? If so, let us know.