Research says crossing the road with a mobile is dangerous for children

Children who are talking on their mobile phone when crossing the road are at greater risk of being involved in an accident, according to research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. Pretty obvious when you think about it. Psychologists who used a virtual reality software program found that all of the children tested (aged 10-11) were more likely to exhibit risky behaviour when they crossed the street while talking on a mobile phone, even when the children were familiar with mobiles or were rated as highly attentive. Children using mobiles took an average 20% longer to cross the road, gave themselves 8% less time to cross safely in front of traffic and were 43% more likely to be hit by a vehicle or to have a close call. [Press release]

US teenagers and mobiles: new research

Researchers at Harris Interactive have worked with industry group CTIA to discover what teenagers want from their mobile phones... and what mobile phones are likely to be used for in the future. Their survey of over 2,000 teenagers in the USA is called "Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged". It reveals that:

• next to clothing, teenagers say a mobile phone tells the most about a person’s social status or popularity
• 57% see their mobile phone as the key to their social life
• 17 million teenagers (alomst 80%) carry a mobile device -up 40% since 2004
• almost the same amount of time is spent texting as talking
• 42% of teens say they can text blindfolded!

In the future, teenagers say they'll want their mobiles to offer:

• secure data access to the user only (80%)
• accessibility to personal health records (66%)
• the opportunity to be educated anywhere in the world (66%)
• closer access to global issues impacting their world (63%)

Their ideal mobile device would be a phone, MP3 player, GPS, laptop computer and video player that was shockproof, waterproof, never needed recharging and had a screen that couldn't be overlooked. [Press release]

Mobile phones could improve school standards

Letting children use their mobile phones in the classroom could improve school standards, according to research from the University of Nottingham. Researchers watched 14 to 16-year-olds in five schools where teachers were encouraged to allow pupils to use mobiles for homework projects. After the 9-month experiment, most pupils said they felt more motivated. [Press release]

Girls want mobiles sooner than boys

Here's one of those "obvious when you think about it" pieces of research. Teenage girls want mobiles earlier than teenage boys, according to a survey in the USA by MultiMedia Intelligence. Although there's little difference in mobile phone ownership at the age of 13, there's a large gap between the genders by 17. In 2007, 91% of 17-year-old American girls had mobiles but only 78% of 17-year-old boys had them. Generally, mobile ownership by teenage girls increases with age, while usage by boys jumps at ages 13 and 16. [Press release]

Mobile Life report published

The Carphone Warehouse has published its Mobile Life 2008 report (called ‘The Connected World’); the fifth annual report in conjunction with the London School of Economics. Amongst the 'mobile' stuff in it this year:

• 94% of British youngsters own mobile phones compared to 80% in the US
• Youngsters in the UK and the USA consider their mobile phone to be their best friend, preferring it above TV
• 17% of UK adults said they owned two or more mobiles, compared to 11% in the US
• 24% of US adults and 17% of UK adults have sent/received email on their phone
• 14% of adults have checked news or weather reports online via their mobile phone
• 13% of British teenagers have had to change their number to stop unwanted texts or calls compared to 6% in the US
• 14% of British teenagers reported having a mobile phone stolen compared to 9% in the US
• 15% of adults in the UK have reported a mobile theft versus 7% in the US

[Web site; PDF]

US Teen Market reaching saturation

Analysists at MultiMedia Intelligence say the market for 12 to 17-year-old mobile phone customers in the USA is reaching saturation. It exceeded 16 million last year, up 12% from 2006. However it's only expected to reach 17 million by 2012.