New ACMA analysis of Roy Morgan data shows that nearly half of Australian children (48%) aged 6 to 13 own or use a mobile phone.
The analysis shows that in 2018, 32% of children owned a mobile phone with a further 16% having access to one. One in four children aged 6 to 7 had or used a mobile phone.
As in previous years, girls were somewhat ahead of boys in terms of mobile phone access with 50% of Australian girls aged 6 to 13 owning or having access to a mobile phone in 2018 compared to 46% of boys.
Children in NSW and the ACT had the highest access, with 52% of kids in NSW/ACT owning or having access to a mobile, up from 44% in 2013. The lowest was Queensland where 43% of kids aged 6 to 13 years had access to a mobile phone.
The most common reasons for kids to reach for their phones were to play games (70%), take photos and/or videos (67%), use apps (64%) or call their parents or family (57%).
The research has been published on the ACMA website in the Kids and mobiles: How Australian children are using mobile phones report and is based on data from Roy Morgan’s Young Australians Survey.
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