UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has published a new report entitled ‘Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes’. It shows how young people are consuming media, which devices they’re using and how their parents are reacting.
Overall, 43% of children aged 5-15 (43%) have some kind of a mobile phone; a drop from last year’s total of 49%. Although smartphone ownership has remained relatively stable at 29% of children, the ownership of non-smart ‘feature phones’ has fallen from 21% in 2012 (and 31% in 2011) to 13% this year.
However, ownership of tablet computers has increased to 19% of children from 5% last year.
The report also notes that children are less likely to have a television, a games console or a radio in their bedrooms than last year.
Most parents of children aged 5 to 15 said they knew enough to keep their child safe online, although around half of them reckoned their child knew more about the internet than they did. In fact, 14% of parents with young children said their 3-year-old or 4-year-old had a greater knowledge of the internet.
[Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes. Ofcom report (pdf)]