A new report released by Australia’s Telstra sheds light on the rampant use of smartphones in the country by kids aged three to seventeen and according to the report over 66 per cent of these kids spend almost an entire day on a smartphone out of a week.
According to the report children spend an average of 21 hours and 48 minutes per week on a smartphone. The findings are based on a survey of 1,365 parents and one of the major concerns for these parents include risks around cyber safety and sexting.
The report also found that average age of smartphone ownership in Australia ia 12 years, but kids aged just 10 spend an average of nearly 15 hours in a week on smartphones. As far as 17-year-olds go, they spend over 26 hours on their phones.
Two-thirds of the parents surveyed said that they talked with their children about usage, but 25 per cent said their children did not comply with their promise of limiting their time on smartphones.
Parents said that Facebook and instant messaging were the most time consuming and distracting programmes for their children.
Another finding was that more than half of the kids who owned a smartphone also owned a tablet.
