51.6% of Italians under 11 yrs has a mobile phone

Source: Telecompaper

According to the National Report on Infancy and Adolescence Conditions prepared by Telefono Azzurro, 51.6 percent of Italian children aged 7-11 years already own a mobile phone. In 36.2 percent of the cases the phone is used to talk with friends, for 30.7 percent to talk with parents and in third place is the use of SMS, which interests 12.8 percent of the sample, while around 10.1% use it only to receive phone calls. "This is a growing trend – according to consumers association Codacons – which increases with age: around 3 minors out of ten aged between 5 and 13 years own a mobile phone.

The desire to have their own mobile phone is asserted mostly around the first year of secondary school, according to estimates by Telefono Blu. Another research conducted by the University of Trieste on a sample of 129 primary school pupils revealed that 56 percent of those interviewed had a mobile phone and only 32 percent switch it off before going to sleep. Around 37 percent of those polled received the phone as a present by parents, 30 percent make more than three phone calls a day, 10.85 percent use it both day and night, only 20 percent switch it off in churches and only 14 percent do not use them at school. Nearly 4 out of 10 admit they abuse of SMS messages, while games are among the most used functions for 40.31 percent.