The smartphone screen’s dominion over our lives, the fact that it almost never leaves our hands, has long ago become an accepted fact. From what age are our children sucked into the world of mobile phones, and smartphones in particular? What do they do on these devices, and how frequently are their smartphones upgraded?
A special study conducted by the Sarid Institute on behalf of "Globes" reveals the numbers behind this phenomenon: the tender age at which Israeli children receive their first smartphone (6!), the percentage of children who own smartphones (83%), and the long hours they spend on these devices (more than 5 hours a day among 25% of respondents), and what they actually spend most of their time doing on the devices.
A significant minority of children aged 8-15 don’t have a smartphone: survey findings indicate that 83% of children in this age bracket have smartphones. 72% of 8 year olds said they have smartphones, and among 15 year olds, the rate jumps to 97%. Age 13 was particularly noteworthy, presumably due to the transition from elementary school to middle school. 9% of respondents said that they received smartphones when they were just 6 years old.
Samsung and Apple
The young smartphone market, like the adult one, is dominated by the two leading brands, Apple and Samsung, with Samsung leading by a significant margin, thanks to the wide range of models and sizes the brand offers.
The most popular smartphone among kids is the Samsung Galaxy Mini (31%), followed by the "regular" Samsung (23%). 26% have iPhones, half have new models (iPhone 5 or 6), and half have older models.
One third of the children surveyed did not switch devices in the past two years, and a third switched phones once in the past two years. Switching devices is more common among older children, presumably because they have had their phones for longer, and perhaps because of the transitions to middle school and high school.
"I wouldn’t immediately rule out a child’s request to upgrade their device," says Ravit Guttman, a senior advisor at the Adler Institute. "You have to check, and understand why - does the current device limit his ability, or is it just spoiling him? The claim that ‘everyone has one’ is not always legitimate, but you have to be careful not to isolate your child from his or her surroundings. If a child is not part of the social circle, it just leaves him or her more on the outside."
The social circles to which Guttman refers are primarily group communications via What’s App - one of the two most popular apps among respondents (63%), along with various games. Next come various apps, such as music, photos, video, and Facebook (41% each), Instagram (39%), a mirror or flashlight (36%), television networks (28%), and sports-related apps (15%).
Respondents reported they used their devices primarily for WhatsApp, followed by games. Instagram, Facebook, and surfing the web were on the list as well.
14-15 year olds use gaming, messaging, and video streaming apps more than younger children. Actually talking on the phone was in third place among respondents - who even remembers that that was the original purpose of the telephone?
4-5 hours a day
About a quarter of the children surveyed use their smartphones more than five hours a day. Girls use their phones more than boys: 35% of girls and 29% of boys use their phones for four hours a day or more.
Girls are "heavier" users than boys - 30% of girls use their phone for more than 5 hours a day, compared with 17% of boys. The amount of time spent on the phone appears to increase with age.
"Parents must lead by example"
Should extensive smartphone use at young ages worry us?
First of all, the controversial health aspect cannot be overlooked: the question of whether children are more sensitive to cellular radiation has yet to be answered in a scientifically conclusive manner, but the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Israeli Ministry of Health, recommend "limiting children’s use of mobile phones, and refraining from holding devices to the ear, limiting the start-age, and the degree of intensity with which children use mobile phones, and using the phones in a controlled and informed manner."
In addition to the health aspect, there is the no-less important matter of interpersonal communication habits, safe Internet-surfing, and the danger of addiction, and also the financial ramifications - even though usage fees have stabilized following the reform in the mobile sector, and are currently for the most part under control, the mere purchase of expensive devices for children is not a foregone conclusion.
"Everything starts with education at home, and parents are responsible for teaching their children to consume wisely: in terms of content - what is and isn’t allowed and why, when to respond and when not to, to understand that what is written may sound or be interpreted differently - and that the written word is lasting," Ravit Guttman, a senior counsellor at Adler, explains in attempt to help parents who are troubled by the never-ending connection to the device in general, and WhatsApp in particular.
Guttman explains: "Children won’t learn what their parents don’t teach them: you have to teach the children, guide them when they begin using the devices, get them accustomed to switching to ‘silent’ mode when doing homework, or at dinner, and set limits - when the device gets turned on, and when it gets turned off, like at mealtime, or during family time.
"You have to give a rational explanation, for example, that the goal is not to eliminate family connections, but for this, you have to lead by example, and not say ‘I'm a parent, and for me, it really is urgent.’ Parents complain their kids are addicted to monitors and screens - but the kids are used to seeing their parents looking down as well."
However, Guttman also points out some positive aspects: "Smartphones make it possible for us to give our children more independence, to accompany the child from afar, to help arrange all sorts of tasks through WhatsApp groups. In an era of remote parenting, when parents are constantly busy, sometimes it’s also a presence of sorts. Children can share what’s going on with them and not remain alone, with themselves, so the picture is not only a negative one."
Guttman points to another positive aspect: "The smartphone encourages responsibility on many levels - from looking after the device itself - they’ll forget their sweatshirt anywhere, but not their phone - to taking care to keep the device charged."
Methodology
This series of articles, launched by "Globes" in cooperation with the Sarid Institute, is leading unique research activity in the local market. At the center of the research, is the establishment of the "Small Talk" panel - a very large online panel, which includes 15,000 children between the ages of 7 and 14, and which makes it possible to trace attitudes and behavior using age-appropriate questionnaires.
The series of studies investigates various consumer and marketing topics. It is managed and overseen by the Sarid Insititute, with the full cooperation of the children’s parents.
The current report presents smartphone usage habits of children between the ages of 8 and 15. 481 children with smartphones participated in the study. The sampling margin of error is 4.5%.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 26, 2015
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015