Nearly half of children aged eight to 12 years old own mobile phones in the US, in what could be the next big mobile-phone demographic for the mobile industry, according to a Nielsen report released on Wednesday at the CTIA Fall 2008 trade show in San Francisco.
Nielsen said 46 percent of the 20 million young consumers known as 'tweens' are using mobile phones. On average kids get their first mobile phone between the ages of 10 and 11 years old. About 55 percent of tweens, who own mobile phones, send text messages and 21 percent download ringtones.
The main reason these children have phones is because their parents want them to have them in case of an emergency or problem. But about 92 percent of those surveyed said they restrict how tweens use their phones, with 69 percent of them prohibiting the download of games and ringtones, which typically incur charges. Roughly 65 percent of tweens with phones get mobile-phone service through family plans.
As mobile penetration approaches 85 percent in the US, mobile-phone operators are looking towards younger consumers to drive growth. And operators are focusing more effort in figuring out what is needed from this often difficult-to-survey group of consumers.
"Tweens have grown up with mobile phones and expect them to do much more than make a call," Richard Wood, a vice president for Nielsen Mobile said in a statement. "Our clients want to understand tweens' attitudes and mobile behaviour in the context of their daily life and media consumption."
