Teens and cell phones

One of the questions The Online Mom gets asked most frequently is: At what age is it appropriate for a child to have a cell phone? Usually we reply that there's no one right answer; it depends on how often your child is out of the house without you – away at camp, playing soccer, visiting relatives, etc.

It's true that occasionally kids as young as 8 or 9 show up on the school bus with brand new cell phones but after a while, with no-one to call, the phones usually end up gathering dust in a kitchen drawer.

However, there is no doubt that cell phone ownership is getting younger all the time. A recent study by The Pew Internet Project found that cell phone use among teens has climbed steadily from 45% in 2004 to 71% in 2008. The study also found that teens have rapidly closed the gap between themselves and adults when it comes to overall cell phone ownership. A 20 point difference in 2004 was down to just 6 points last year.

So, at what age do the majority of teens get a phone? Not surprisingly, older teens are more likely to own cell phones than younger teens. As the chart below shows, well over 80% of teens have a phone by the time they are 16. However, the Pew study found that half of all children aged 12 also have a phone, a huge jump from the 18% recorded back in 2004. The largest increase in ownership occurs at age 14, right around the transition between middle and high school.

The study also looked at how cell phone ownership among teens compared with other electronic devices. While 71% owned a cell phone:
•    77% of teens owned a gaming console*
•    74% of teens owned an iPod or MP3 player
•    60% of teens owned a desktop or laptop computer*
•    55% of teens owned a portable gaming device

(* The study acknowledged that while cell phones, iPods and other portable devices tend to be heavily personalized and "owned" by one person, it is harder to allocate gaming consoles and computers that are available for family use.)

While the study is not much help in answering an individual parent's question as to what is right for their family, it's clear that the clamor for cell phone ownership is coming at an ever-earlier age. By 2012, don't be surprised if those early-adopting 8 and 9 year-olds are already racking up the minutes!

Let us know what you think. Would you consider buying a cell phone for a 4th grader? Are we able to slow the trend towards ever-younger digital kids?