A third of US 8-12yr olds have mobiles; none use mobile internet
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More than a third of US tweens - eight to 12 year-olds - owns a mobile phone, says a study by Nielsen Mobile. The study, which examined 5,500 tweens and teenagers in the US - found that 35% of tweens owned a handset. One in five has used text messaging, while 21% have used ring and answer tones, says the survey.
All good, right? At least they’re using their mobile phones, yes?
Well. Here’s the kicker. None of them are using mobile internet.
However, regular internet usage among tween mobile users is low: only 5% say they access the internet over their phone each month. Mobile internet is popular when outdoors, with 41% of the tweens saying that they access it while commuting or travelling.
Ok, so five percent. That’s none. ‘None’ in my arbitrary book, anyway.
No wonder, though. They’re accessing the mobile internet on pieces of shit that can display four lines of text on a screen. No WONDER.
Give them all 3G iPhones and the situation would be different.
And none of them use mobile applications, I’m willing to bet, too. Because their shiny new handset (that’s actually older than they are) can’t run anything but poxy reduced J2ME rubbish.
WOE.
WOE IS ME!
I’m going to sort them out when I get to San Francisco this week. Just watch me..
Preach on. Give them the devices and it will happen.
Weirdly enough, the more I think about it, Apple might have been right delaying the SDK. Its forced the mobile web to come out and play. Would be nice to see others jump into a similar boat, with the SDK and native apps coming later, but mostly designing hardware that encourages mobile web app use.
Posted by Antoine of MMM on December 5th, 2007 at 6:16 pm.I’d imagine that many kids get warned by Mum (er, Mom) and Dad not to use the internet on their phone for various different reasons (including cost and concern about content). So, even if they do have a phone that does a half decent job of mobile browsing, many don’t use it (at least the ones that obey their parents!)
When kids do have a half decent phone, have unlimited access and know how to use it (oh and have permission from parents/guardians) they do use it and use it a fair bit. My sister’s kids constantly ask to use my Nokia for the ‘net and have used the ‘net extensively or a Skypephone I’ve loaned them. But then we’re in the UK so my sister’s kids are a bit more tech savvy when it comes to mobile telecommunications! ;o)
Posted by Anthony on December 6th, 2007 at 1:00 pm.I wonder if this is partially driven by parents keeping web browsing in the home or in appropriately supervised places. The idea of children (now apparently known as tweens) having full mobile web access, in peer driven environments (or even worse in solitary places) away from the family would concern me as a parent.
The web is great and the web untethering itself from the desk is fantastic, but there are some crazy things on the net and a fair few little people quite like poking into unsafe things in unsafe environments.
Posted by Julian on December 6th, 2007 at 4:56 pm.