35% of 11 year olds own a cellphone

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