According to a report by media regulator Ofcom, Fifty per cent of 10 year olds in the UK owned a smartphone in 2019.
In addition to this , 24% of 3 and 4 year olds had their own tablet, and 15% of them were allowed to take it to bed.
Ofcom dubbed this “the age of digital independence”as the number of 9 and 10 year olds with smartphones doubled. The study was based on interviews with 3,200 parents and children from all across the country.
Courtesy of the BBC.
“The mobile phone is the device of choice for children,” said Yih-Choung Teh, strategy and research group director at Ofcom, “I’m conscious that for these children who have never known a world without the internet, in many respects their online and offline worlds are indistinguishable.”
It was also revealed that 87% of parents with children aged between 5 and 15 wanted advice about how to keep them safe online.
“We are seeing around half of 12-15 year olds saying they have seen hateful content online, and an increase in parents who are concerned about it,” said Yih-Choung Teh.
“The good news is, more conversations about staying safe online are also happening across the country.”
