Child's play: mobile users under 10 to hit 500,000

By the end of next year half a million children in the UK under the age of 10 will have a mobile phone, with recent increases driven by parents' safety concerns and the 'pester power' of kids.

A new study of the 5- to 24-year-old market by mobileYouth has found steady growth despite an industry pledge not to market mobiles to children. Currently around 400,000 under-10s have their own handset, up from only 80,000 in 2000.

Author of the latest mobileYouth report Josh Dhaliwal said parents are overlooking potential health hazards because being able to stay in touch is considered more important. Such growth in the US has been driven by the tragic events of 11 September 2001, while parents in most countries have reacted to media coverage of child abductions.

Dhaliwal said that although there has been a lot of finger pointing in the direction of the mobile phone companies they have strictly adhered to government guidelines on targeting kids.

The UK is following growth patterns seen in advanced mobile markets such as Japan and Scandinavia.

The latest mobileYouth report is available by calling +44 (0) 20 7470 8898.