The Text Generation: Teens and their Mobiles
In a nutshell:
- 73 percent of teenagers use cellphones;
- 41 percent had "no idea" how much they spent on their monthly cellphone bills;
- For 56 percent, the main reason for using a cellphone was to talk and text with friends;
- 46 percent started a relationship via text message and 23 percent ended one that way;
- 29 percent used their phone during school hours; and
- 23 percent had received an offensive, pornographic or threatening message via text or picture message, and 14 percent had sent one.
"The Text Generation" - billed as NZ's most comprehensive survey on teen cellphone use, was recently released by NetSafe, the Internet Safety Group. The results came from 1528 teenagers at a decile-four Auckland high school.
NZ's mobile phone market has exploded over the past five years, with text-messaging teens driving much of the growth. Between them, Vodafone and Telecom have more than 3.1 million cellphone customers. Around 10 million text messages are sent each day - up from fewer than 60,000 in 1999.
Of the 1528 teens surveyed by NetSafe, almost three-quarters used cellphones, with many owning more than one. However, two percent said their parents did not actually know they had the use of a cellphone. While many students paid their own phone bills without relying on their parents, 41 percent had "no idea" how much they racked up each month. Of those who could estimate the monthly charges, four percent spent over $100, with the biggest bill coming to $1900.
Three percent admit to stealing their cellphones and 13 percent said they stole money to pay their phone bills. Twenty-nine percent reported using their phones during class time.
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