One in Five Kids Under 12 Has a Cell Phone, Poll Says

by Mercedes Cardona (Subscribe to Mercedes Cardona's posts) Jan 25th 2010 5:00PM

Categories: In The News, Research Reveals Big Kids

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If you bought your grade-schooler a cell phone recently, you're not alone. A new survey found the number of kids ages 6 to 11 carrying cell phones has shot up 68 percent in the last five years.

Twenty percent of kids ages 6 to 11 now have cell phones, up from 11.9 percent in 2005, according to the new American Kids Study from research company MRI.

It was the older kids -- ages 10 to 11 -- that had the biggest bump in cell phone ownership, up 80.5 percent between 2005 and 2009. But even among the 6- and 7-year-olds, the numbers rose by 32.7 percent.

And even if parents justify the purchase by saying it's for emergencies only, you know kids define "emergency" differently than you do. According to the poll, the cell phones are mainly used to call parents (88.1 percent of kids say so), call friends (68.1 percent) and for emergency purposes (55.7 percent). But kids are also making full use of the phone features by texting (54.1 percent), playing games (49 percent), taking pictures (47.8 percent) and more.

Many companies are stirring the market by selling cell phones with special features designed for kids, like the Disney Mobile LG Phone and Firefly Communications' FlyPhone, noted Anne Marie Kelly, senior vice president of marketing and strategic planning at MRI. The company polled 5,000 households, including both kids and their parents.

In a statement, Kelly noticed boys have begun catching up to girls in cell phone ownership. In 2007, 18.6 percent of girls ages 6 to 11 had cell phones, and only 12.4 percent of boys; but by 2009, boys' cell phone ownership had gone up to 18.3 percent, closing the gap to the girls' 21.8 percent.

Kelly's statement also notes that boys use cell phones differently than girls: "Girls are more apt to make calls and send text messages while boys are more likely to instant message, access the Internet and download games, music and video," she says.

Related: Teachers Using Cell Phones As Educational Tool, More Families Stay In Touch Via Cell Phones, Texts

Comments (5)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Sara 1-25-2010 @ 5:45PM

I'm betting most of these kids are from divorced families. Much easier for parents and kids if the child can always be contacted at one phone number. With an additional phone only costing ten dollars a month the convenience is probably worth the money.

ming 1-25-2010 @ 6:44PM

kids shouldn't have cell phones . why would they need them if a parent leaves a kid alone then either have the kid use a home phone or borrow a phone. cell phones keep kids from playing outside

Bridge2luv 1-26-2010 @ 1:21PM

my pre-teen and i have been debating back and forth about this....i give up now...i guess im on my way to buy a phone for my kid now...such pressure...lol

sydrocks4141 2-07-2010 @ 6:35PM

I think kids should have cell phones. I got ming at around 7 or 8 yrs old. My phone when i was 9 was a verizon wireless chocolate. Dont waste your money on some firefly with no fun apps! Get your kid a texting phone for quick messaging or something like a touch screen!

MomOfTwo 5-07-2010 @ 4:47PM

One safe way to go is with a cell phone service that lets you place limits on what they can do and who they can call, all from a website control panel. They mentioned Firefly and Disney (although the Disney service went out of business a while ago), but didn't mention the fastest growing one - kajeet. My 4th grader has a kajeet phone just they say here for "emergencies" (since he doesn't really talk on the phone otherwise) that I just keep in his backpack. It's only $4.95/month with no contracts. If you're interested in a kajeet phone, they're running a special now through www.safephones4kids.com - 15% off and free shipping. Check it out!