When they turn 5 years old, most children are just learning to tell time. However, kids may soon have to learn to master synchronizing Google Now's reminder functionality with the Keep app. That's because a tenth of all 5-year-olds are given mobile phones, at least according to a new UK study.
The study, conducted by uSwitch.com, found that 11 is the average age a British child receives their first mobile phone; however, a not-insignificant minority of 5-year-olds also are the proud owners of a mobile phone for the first time.
A direct comparison to US kids is a bit harder to suss out, as the kindergarten age group hasn't been closely scrutinized by researchers. A 2012 study from AT&T found that 12 is the average age for American teens to get their first cell phone, while a 2011 study found 20 percent of third graders own a cell phone. Neither study focused on the pre-school/kindergarten set, though.
One reason to suspect that phones may be more ubiquitous in the hands of children across the pond it costs far less to own a smartphone in the UK than in just about anywhere else in the world. According to our survey, the cost of owning a smartphone over the course of two years in the UK is up to a grand cheaper than other major markets.
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