Cell Phones: An Introduction

If your child has been asking you for a cell phone (or already has one), you are not alone. Seventy-five percent of teenagers and 93 percent of adults ages 18 to 29 now have a cell phone.¹ Fifty-eight percent of 12-year-olds have a cell phone as well.² If your child already has a cell phone, there’s still a lot you may not know.

Did You Know?

• Kids see a cell phone as a lifeline. The average teenager sends more than 2,000 text messages each month through a cell phone.³
• Two out of three teenage cell phone users take photos with the camera built into their cell phone.⁴ One out of two likes to play the pre-installed games that come with their phone.⁵
• Girls are just as likely to use cell phones as guys.⁶
• More than half of eight-year-olds who have cell phones also send text messages.⁷ That percentage jumps to 81 percent of 12-year-olds with cell phones.⁸

• More than half of all parents do not apply any parental controls on their kids’ cell phones.⁹

Even though cell phones have become a part of everyday life, it’s still important that you talk with your kids about rules and etiquette. By encouraging responsible cell phone use from when your child first gets one, you’ll help ensure that he continues responsible use throughout childhood and into adulthood.