A report by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) has revealed that 50% of 10-year-old children in the UK owned a smartphone in 2019.
UK media regulator Ofcom released a report showing that 50% of 10-year-old children have a smartphone in 2019. The agency noted that the amount of young phone owners doubled between the ages of nine and 10.
Ofcom calls this trend "the age of digital independence". The report also indicated that 24% of 3- and 4-year-olds had their own tablet, 15% of whom were allowed to take the device to bed.
The Ofcom annual report examined the media habits of children, and the types of devices they are using. The study involved over 3,200 interviews with children and parents around the UK.
Yih-Choung Teh, strategy and research group director at Ofcom, said: "The mobile phone is the device of choice for children. I'm conscious that for these children who have never known a world without the internet, in many respects their online and offline worlds are indistinguishable."
The report also discovered that much older children use social media to express their support for social causes and organisations, with 18% having shared or commented on a post, and one in ten having signed an online petition.
Ofcom dubbed this as "the Greta effect" after the 17-year-old environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg.
Yih-Choung Teh also mentioned: "We are seeing around half of 12-15 year olds saying they have seen hateful content online, and an increase in parents who are concerned about it. The good news is, more conversations about staying safe online are also happening across the country."
In response to the report, children's charity the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) called for independent regulators to prompt social media platforms to protect their users from viewing harmful material.
Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy, argued: "While it's encouraging that parents are talking to their children about their media use, we must look to tech giants to protect their users and ensure they are a force for good not bad."
