|
Mobile phone ownership and texting
statistics
NLT research index
page on popular culture and media literacy
In 2005 ChildWise, a market research firm specialising
in children's products, found that one in four under-eights
had a mobile. The total of 4.5 million youngsters with mobiles
included 58% of nine to 10-year-olds and 89% of 11 to 12-year-olds
with handsets. Some 93% of 13 to 14-year-olds and 95% of 15
and 16-year-olds had a mobile. (Daily Mail, 15 February
2005)
Figures from the Mobile Data Association showed that at the
beginning of 2005, at least 60 million mobiles were in use
in the UK. Eight out of ten adults own them. The number of
youngsters with mobiles was around 4.5 million, with 90% of
secondary school children and as many as one in four under-10s
having their own phone. (Daily Mail, 26 January 2005)
In 2004, mobile phone users in Britain sent a record 25 billion
text messages - 75.6 million texts a day. Text traffic doubled
in Britain in three years - 12.2 billion messages were sent
in 2001. (Daily Mirror, 5 January 2005)
In 2004, according to the mobile telecoms consultancy Mobile
Youth, 700,000 (20%) primary school children own mobile phones
and the under-10s were the fastest-growing section of Britain's
mobile phone market. (Guardian, 23 December 2004)
In 2004, some 89% of 11 to 21-year-old mobile users texted
at least once a day and 54% at least five times a day. (Telegraph,
20 December 2004)
In 2004 a quarter of 7 to 10-year-olds owned mobile phones,
according to a survey of 2,000 children and their parents
by the market analysts Mintel. The figures show that the proportion
of primary school pupils with mobiles has almost doubled from
13% in 2001. (Telegraph, 28 April 2004)
The Mobile Data Association reported that mobile users sent
20.5 billion messages in 2003 - a twenty-fold increase in
five years- the equivalent of 55million every day. Research
found more than eight out of 10 under-25s are more likely
to text than call. (The Mirror, 23 January 2004)
Text messaging really took off in 1998 when it became availbale
across all networks, and practical, cheap pay-as-you-go phones
became readily available, which made mobiles be seen as necessities
rather than luxuries. By the end of 1998 more than 10 million
people had mobile phones. By 2000, the number of people owning
mobiles had multiplied almost five-fold to 45 million
(Daily
Mail, 3 December 2002).
The Times has covered the growing trend in Japan for books published, read and, in some cases, written on mobile phones. For the first time Japan’s fiction bestseller list is dominated by these books. The stories are divided into sections that can be read in about three minutes – the typical time between stops on the Japanese subway.
This week the 2007 bestseller lists revealed that five of the year’s most successful novels, including the top three, were first written for downloading on mobile phones before being published in book form. All are writing in short, simple sentences using relatively few characters, featuring melodramatic plots.
(The Times, 6 December 2007)
The TES reports on
how humans have communicated in code throughout history, using
everything from smoke signals to Morse and the telegram. Until
the arrival of the text message in the public domain in 1992,
there was little concern about the destructive effect these
systems might have on 'proper' written English. To read this
article in full, visit www.tes.co.uk/search/story/?story_id=2341958
(TES, 9 February 2007)
Contrary to popular belief, the use of text message abbreviations
is linked positively with literacy achievements, according
to work carried out by researchers at Coventry University.
The study explored how the use of text abbreviations might
be related to the skills children need in reading and writing.
11-year-old children were quizzed about their use of mobile
phones and asked to translate messages between standard English
and text language, as well as complete tasks to reveal their
English writing, reading and spelling abilities. Most text
abbreviations were phonetically based. Surprisingly, the children
who were better at spelling and writing used the most 'textisms'.
For more information on this research visit www.coventry.ac.uk/latestnewsandevents/a/2341
(Coventry University, September 2006)
The TES reports how researchers at Melbourne University
have conducted trials in schools and technical colleges to
see how mobile phones can boost learning and claim to be achieving
remarkable success. For some students who find writing difficult,
the phones have improved their literacy. For example, three
boys who are using the phones to develop their writing and
reading skills: capturing images, writing about them, and
emailing the work to friends, families and teachers. The school's
principal said he had been been "overwhelmed by the resulting
enthusiasm" among disengaged students.
(TES, July 28 2006)
The Guardian reported a study in 2005, which found
that state-of-the-art mobile phones have been found to be
effective tools for tempting young unemployed adults back
to learning. In a European experiment, around 80% of youngsters
in the Neet category (not in employment, education or training)
felt that the mobile games could help them to improve their
reading, spelling or maths. The Learning and Skills Development
Agency wrote a report on the project: Mobile
Technologies and Learning and found that nearly a third
of those studied were assessed as having developed a more
positive attitude to reading.
(Guardian, 26 April 2005)
The Daily Mail has reported on psychologists
who claim that texting and emailing can be more than twice
as bad for your brainpower as smoking cannabis. They found
a noticeable drop in IQ among employees who are continuously
being distracted from what they should be doing by checking
their messages. The scientists have termed this "infomania".
The study of 1,100 workers was conducted by Dr Glenn Wilson
from the University of London and commissioned by technology
firm Hewlett Packard.
(Daily Mail, 22 April 2005)
The Telegraph reported how psychologists have said
the growth of text messaging can boost the confidence of introverted
and anxious people, who otherwise struggle to communicate.
More than half of mobile phone users prefer to send text messages
to friends than talk to them, according to a study of 1000
people carried out by Donna Reid at Plymouth University.
(Telegraph, 9 February 2005)
The Guradian covered research in 2004, conducted at
the department of communication and science at City University
in London, which suggested that claims that the explosion
in text messaging among children is eroding youngsters' literacy
skills appeared to be unfounded. The study, comparing the
punctuation and spelling of 20 11 and 12-year-olds who use
mobile phone text messaging with another group of non-texters
conducting the same written tests, found no significant differences
between the two.
According to the author of the research, Veenal Raval, the
findings reflect children's ability to "code switch",
or move between modes of communication - for example, effortlessly
slipping between playground slang and visit-the-grandparents
politeness, or how bi-lingual children cope with school and
home languages.
However, the study did find that the pupils familiar with
text messaging wrote significantly less when asked to describe
a picture or an event than those who did not use mobiles,
potentially fuelling concerns that the quality and expressiveness
of children's writing could be at risk even if their spelling
is not.
Chief examiners' reports on trends in public examinations
had begun to note instances of texting language in exam scripts.
Some cases - including a 13-year-old Scottish pupil who wrote
an entire description of her summer holidays in text-speak
- provoked concern among some teachers. But despite widespread
speculation there is little research into the potential influence
of texting on children's writing.
(Guardian, 23 December 2004)
In 2004, three-quarters of teenagers surveyed in a report
said they could not bear to be without their phone, said the
Telegraph. Helen Haste, professor of psychology at
the University of Bath, and the leading author of the report,
said: "Texting is replacing speech for much communication
among young people". Mori spoke to 725 people aged 11
to 21 for the report, published January 2005 by the Nestle
Social Research Programme.
(Telegraph, 20 December 2004)
In 2004, research by the telecommunications division of British
Gas showed that the average Briton spent a quarter of their
waking hours either on the phone or using email, according
to the Daily Mail.
Individuals spent 225 minutes a day (nearly four hours) on
the phone or sending messages online- more than the time spent
watching television. According to the research, the average
Briton spent 88 minutes a day on a fixed landline phone, 62
minutes on the mobile, 53 minutes emailing and 22 minutes
texting. Those with full-time jobs, a permanent partner and
children will spend longer than the national average - a total
of 250 minutes a day communicating.
The results of a poll of a 1000 adults showed that 44% felt
conversations were shorter than ever and a third (33%) admitted
they talked less to their friends and family these days because
they texted and emailed instead. Nearly half (46%) said they
deliberately used text messaging because it meant they did
not have to spend so much time going through conversational
niceties.
The results were analysed by psychologist Dr David Lewis
who claimed communicating electronically meant that people
were becoming less adept at both talking and listening. He
said: "Too much 'techno talk' makes us uncomfortable
with more intimate face-to-face conversations and means we
stop communicating effectively with each other."
(Daily Mail, 20 May 2004)
The Independent reported on a survey of more than 2,500
teenagers which found that many of them were losing sleep,
particularly as a result of the boom in the popularity of
texting. Reading a book under the bedclothes with a torch
has been replaced by distractions such as video games and
mobile phones used for late-night text messages.
Dr Jan Van den Bulck, a senior lecturer in psychology at
the Catholic university of Leuven in Belgium, found that text
messages interrupted the sleep of most adolescents and that
up to 1 in 5 said they were wakened regularly by friends texting
late at night. He surveyed 2,546 children from a random sample
of 15 schools in Flanders. The study also looked at TV and
computer games.
(The Independent, 5 January 2004)
The Telegraph has covered a study of the social habits
of more than 1,000 teenagers and young adults, sponsored by
Channel 4 and magazine and newspaper publishers, showed that
96% of 15 to 24-year-olds own a mobile phone and cannot function
normally without one.
(Telegraph, 28 November 2003)
A survey conducted by the Learning and Skills Development
Agency (LSDA), found that just under half of the young people
questioned expressed an interest in using a mobile phone to
improve their basic skills in reading, spelling or maths.
Main survey findings:
- 57% considered a mobile phone had changed their life
- 49% expressed an interest in a mobile phone game for improving
reading or spelling
- 44% expressed an interest in a mobile phone game for learning
maths
The survey was conducted between December 2001 and January
2002 in shopping, leisure and employment centres in seven
locations in the UK. A total of 746 questionnaires were completed.
(LSDA Briefing, February 2003)
The Sunday Mirror reported how teenagers are being
given free mobile phones to improve their literacy. Government
experts said text messaging would encourage youngsters to
enjoy reading and writing. Mobile phones will be distributed
for free to teenagers with the poorest literacy skills. Pilot
schemes were organised around the country by the Department
of Education and Employment.
(Sunday Mirror, 18 February 2001)
| 80px.gif)
