Teenage mobile phone users represent a $10.7 billion market; with almost half of 10 to 18 year olds having their own mobile phone, according to a new study from GfK NOP Technology.
The mKids Study claims that 70% of the revenues from the teen and “tween” mobile market come from children with telephone plans of $50 a month or more.
Despite an increase in mobile phone usage in this demographic, almost 75% of those surveyed said that their parents paid for their phone, resulting in teens and tweens’ devices often including advanced services beyond normal voice services.
A study earlier this year from the Yankee Group found that two thirds of mobile consumers are willing to spend more on data services, with a particular interest from younger users on music (see Continued Uptake Of Mobile Data Services).
The strength of the youth market in the mobile arena builds on the findings of an earlier study from market research company, NOP World, which revealed that 44% of respondents between 10 and 18 own a mobile phone (see Nearly Half Of US Teens Own Mobile Phones).
The study analysed mobile phone ownership within the 10 to 18 year old age group and found that penetration among 12 to 14 year olds had increased to 40% in December 2004, up from 13% in February 2002.
The research also revealed that 73% of 18 year olds own mobile phones, a 15% rise on 2002. Elsewhere, 75% of 15 to 17 year olds were shown to carry mobile phones, an increase of 33% percentage points from 42% in 2002.
Noah Elkin, senior analyst at online specialist eMarketer, explained the importance of this age group, saying: “The youth market, which seems to grow each year, cannot be ignored. Young people are early adopters of wireless content and services, and, as such, play an important role in determining what does and does not work on a handheld device.”
Multi functions of mobile phones are becoming increasingly popular, with research from Ziff Davis claiming the number of US households using mobile phones to play games has risen by nearly 70% over the past 12 months, reaching almost 28 million (see US Mobile Gaming Users Hits 28 Million).
Downloaded ring tones are also on the rise, with Ipsos-Insight showing over half of 12 to 17 year olds with mobile phones claim to have downloaded ring tones, while just under 50% of those aged 18 to 24 have used the technology. Older users prove more stubborn, however as just 30% of users between 25 and 35 experiment with mobile content (see Mobile Downloading Popularity Decreases With Age).
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