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35% of 11 year olds own a cellphone

35% of 11 year olds own a cellphone

Posted: 21 Jan 2010, 11:24, by Alan F.

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Remember when you were 11? Technology was so different back then. Perhaps the most advanced piece of electronics we carried was a transistor radio or a Sony Walkman. Who could have imagined that kids would be walking around, staying in contact with a huge number of other children in the same age group throughout the world, keeping up on the latest news by surfing the internet, and loading up their entire music collection on a device that easily fits in a pocket? According to the Silicon Alley Insider, last year more than 35% of children 10-11 years old had their own cellphone. That is up from the 20% figure recorded in 2005, an hefty increase of 80.5% During that time period, the launch of the iPhone had many kids pleading to their parents for their own handset. Those who could not convince Mom and Dad of the necessity of owning Apple's touchscreen device ended up with messaging phones made for the kids. These featurephones, with bright colored plastic casings, physical QWERTY keyboards and lower price tags, were made for kids to text, check in with social networks and do a little web browsing. The percentage of 8-9 year-olds with a cellphone has risen from 10% to about 16%, a 67% gain, from 2005 through 2009. The percentage of 6-7 year-olds increased by about 33% during that same time period, reaching just a bit over 6% As a result of these increasing numbers, expect to see more apps, content and ads available for the kiddies.

source: SiliconAlleyInsider via Gizmodo

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1. vzw fanman posted on 20 Oct 2010, 01:44 0 0

wow that's crazy.

2. MrGQ posted on 21 Jan 2010, 13:20 0 0

All i had @ 11 was a bike

3. jrcrow79 posted on 21 Jan 2010, 13:21 0 0

is this US only...im 30..when I was 11..I didnt have a cellphone, but got one for safety reasons when I was 12

4. SamTime posted on 21 Jan 2010, 13:50 0 0

I didn't have one til I was 17 because I was paying for it

5. Mateo8326 posted on 21 Jan 2010, 14:00 0 0

Game Boy homie when i was 11 and a sega game gear

6. gdbw posted on 21 Jan 2010, 14:26 0 0

thats sickening!!! what the hell does an eleven year old need with that besides for their parents to find and get ahold of them. Unnecessary expenses for spoiled american brats!! when I was eleven( i'm 32), I was lucky to get a bike or a skate board let alone an expensive electronic device with a reoccuring monthly charge that you have to keep paying even if the expensive electronic device breaks. Rediculous!!

7. vzw fanman posted on 21 Jan 2010, 15:21 0 0

i'm sorry your childhood was like that.

11. Remus posted on 22 Jan 2010, 09:55 0 0

Well.. a lot of it is parents wanting to be able to reach their kids if they want. Nothing wrong with that, sure the phones do a lot more than just make/receive phone calls, but if the parent wants to spend their money on that.. then thats their business. I agree with vzw fanman, sorry you didn't have a 'priviledged' childhood. But you'll have to admit, that things HAVE changed.. the technology is a LOT more readily available to a wider group of people than we probably could have imagine twenty one years ago (when you were eleven gdbw) ... Back then a they had BAG phones and you only got service in SOME places and only in town, and paid a lot more for it and the phone itself was worth a downpayment on a car.

8. Dadler22 posted on 21 Jan 2010, 18:49 0 0

and 20% of them are using phone arena.

9. YouLostTheGame posted on 21 Jan 2010, 22:39 0 0

From some of the comments, I'd say it was higher than that!

10. YouLostTheGame posted on 21 Jan 2010, 22:42 0 0

Out of the younger-age population, I'm curious as to how many are carrying around a smartphone. I see kids all the time with BBs, or iPhones now! And when I say "kids", I literally mean, < 12!