NEW YORK-Nearly half of the nation’s 10- to 18-year-olds own mobile phones and a vast majority are interested in handsets that double as music players or cameras, according to a study from NOP World Technology.
According to the survey-the fifth in a series of studies tracking the wireless habits of children in the top 25 U.S. markets-44 percent of teens and “tweens” own wireless devices. Forty percent of 12- to 14-year-olds carry phones, 13 percent more than in early 2002, and the largest increase in phone ownership was in teens between 15 and 17 years old, with 75 percent owning handsets, up 42 percent from 2002.
Further, 71 percent of respondents said they were interested in phones that convert into music players, and 70 percent were interested in phones that double as digital cameras.
“Teens and tweens are on the cutting edge of cell-phone technology and are no longer excited by typical single-function cell phones,” said Ben Rogers, vice president of NOP World. “Since kids tend to stick with the same provider, it is crucial for carriers to offer affordable multifunction phones, as this may sway selection even more than the service itself.”
And while the United States may have been slow to embrace wireless services compared with some other markets, young U.S. mobile users now spend more on cell phone products and services than any other market in the world, according to a separate study by Wireless World Forum. The organization said that users under the age of 10 spend 12 percent of their pocket money on mobile offerings, and 10- to 14-year-olds spend 39 percent of their money on wireless.
The study also predicts the number of U.S. wireless users under the age of 10 will double this year, reaching almost 400,000.
