The latest handset battleground: 10 years old and younger

A majority of 12-to-14-year-olds have their own wireless phones, according to a recent study by research company iGR Inc., and a “significant percentage” of children younger than 10 years old also have their own phones.
The numbers stem from a survey of tween and teen parents and more than 1,000 children between the ages of 5 and 17. iGR found that between 50% and 70% of children ages 12 to 14 have their own cellphones, with even higher penetration among older teens. The company said that “the new battleground for handset [original equipment manufacturers] and mobile operators in the teen/tween segment is now among children aged 10 and under.”
“This study shows that although there are still significant opportunities with the tween and teen segments, the target age groups are getting younger and younger,” said Iain Gillott, president of iGR. “And while the children might have opinions about what they want and how they will use a cellphone, their parents still make the purchase decision and-more importantly-pay for the service and device.”
The primary reason children wanted cellphones was to stay in touch with friends, while staying in touch with parents was the second most-cited reason. Naturally, respondents cited peer pressure as another factor.
“Older children tended to shy away from handset designs they perceived as ‘babyish’ or geared more toward younger children,” iGR concluded.
IGR also noted that many parents were undecided on which brand of phone they would purchase for their child, even though they knew which handset brand they themselves used. The company cited that tidbit as evidence that handset OEMs should leverage parents’ brand familiarity into additional sales of devices to tweens and teens.