According to a new survey, the number of children under 10 who own mobile phones is dramatically higher than previously thought. The survey uses information of 2,000 households, and was undertaken by cloud security firm Westcoastcloud. As The Telegraph reports, the figures shown are both surprising and divisive. While 2,000 households will not speak for the entirety of the UK, it does reflect that the United Kingdom is quickly reaching a point where cellular devices are becoming part and parcel of everyone's life.
One-in-three children under the age of ten own a mobile phone, while one-in-ten children, also under the age of ten, own a smartphone, such Apple's iPhone. The survey suggests that one-in-four parents do not monitor their offspring's phones. Other information revealed by the survey says that 68% of parents felt compelled to buy their children phones in order to check up on them when they are out, and that only 17% of parents succumbed to pestering by their children. Despite only a quarter of parents monitoring their offspring's phones, the survey results prove that parents are concerned about what their children are doing online. According to the results, 61% of parents monitor their children's usage of the internet on certain devices.
Parental controls were a divisive result in the survey. Half of those questioned said they did not want to completely block access to certain websites, while the other half were more receptive of the concept. One-in-ten children aged under ten also possess accounts on a social network, such as Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace, while one-in-four children under ten have an email address. Westcoastcloud's director, Bill Strain, made the following remark:
It's great that youngsters are interested and engaged with the latest technology, but children owning their own phones as young as four does seem unnecessary. Kids will always be able to gain access to their parents' phones and laptops but when primary school age children gain access to the internet on these devices, parents need to be aware,” Strain continued. “There's the potential that they could access unsuitable or potentially harmful content.