1. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 1 Jane Vincent Research Fellow Growing up with Mobiles – emailing, talking and texting

2. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 2 Growing up with Mobiles 1.Introduction 2.Methodology 3.Examining the Research Material Functionality and Usage Growing Independence Showing and Fun 4.Conclusions

3. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 3 Introduction Study aimed to learn more about Teenies (11 – 16 year olds) use of mobile phones and ICT Data collected was compared with studies by DWRC and others

4. Methodology

5. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 5 Methodology Research commissioned exclusively for this study 67 diaries kept for a day by the children to record their ICT activity 47 children interviewed in group discussions and one to one sessions to further examine and explore ICT use

6. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 6 67 Diary Respondents Girls more willing to participate Boys said ‘Not cool’ or ‘Couldn’t be bothered’ Lack of credit or loss of phone during survey precluded others

7. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 7 47 in Focus Groups and Interviews Focus Groups in 2 Secondary Schools Comprehensive School in South Surrey Secondary Modern School in South Bucks Interviews Children less comfortable talking one-to- one than in focus groups

8. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 8 Examining Research Material Three themes were identified Functionality and Usage Growing Independence Showing and Fun

9. Functionality and Usage

10. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 10 Teenies have a variety of uses for their mobile phones Teenies mostly use text and voice plus some other features – alarm, clock, diary, games Age, gender and maturity impact on usage

11. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 11 Teenies are sophisticated mobile phone users Phone call not text for lifts from parents ‘They don’t know how to use text’ or ‘If I phone and speak to them I know that they have got the message and will come and get me’ ‘ Group text friends first then phone those who reply ‘When we go bowling we find out who can go first then call to make arrangements’

12. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 12 Most know running costs and are frugal, optimizing tariffs Voice Calls to parents are short Mum, I’m at the station’ ‘or I’m at Jenny’s’ or ‘I’ll be home at 6’ Longer calls to friends are done on house phones or by IMS on home PCs ‘ I phone my girlfriend every night for 45minutes; we take it in turns, …I only phone her on my mobile when she isn’t at home and is on her’s because I am not allowed to make long calls to mobiles from the home phone’

13. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 13 Teenies are very price sensitive Most children spend £10 or less per month on their mobile phone ‘Phone call with my sister: I phoned her then she rang back as I was low on credit’ Most children are on pay as you go & do not pay for the handset Around a third of respondents’ bills are paid by parents, remainder by child or both ‘My parents pay the first £10 and I pay the rest’.

14. Growing Independence

15. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 15 Teenies are ‘coming of age’ Children get their first phone aged 9 to 11 Mobile phone is important to parents’ notions of bringing up children (Ling) ‘they’ve run out of credit so can’t do the diary’ or ‘she’s lost the phone and so she’s got to find the money herself to get a replacement’ When the money runs out the mobile is not used BUT it is substituted by borrowing friend’s or family’s mobiles, the home phone and ISM Calls to mobiles from home phones are often banned by parents

16. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 16 Conflicts arise about when it is OK to use the mobile Some parents are more tethered to their children than vice versa ‘My Mum rings me every five minutes when I get on the train – it’s really annoying’ Texts from Dad to keep in touch are OK but calls or texts from Mum are not Teenies still rely on parents instead of mobiles on some occasions ‘‘On my paper round I can only carry my CD that I listen to, my parents know when I should be back’

17. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 17 ‘I keep my phone in my pillow case at night so my brother can’t steal it (or my mum can’t read my text messages from my boyfriend) ‘I hold it in my hand when I sleep’ ‘I don’t take it to theme parks - they fly out of your pocket on the roller coasters and then you’ve lost it for ever’ ‘I don’t take it to school on a PE day, they get stolen from the changing room’ Many Teenies find the mobile is too valuable to lose

18. Showing and Fun

19. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 19 Playful use of mobile varies with age 11-12: Exploring, showing off, talking about but not using mobiles much 13-14: Integral to social life of girls, gets displaced by computer games for many boys 15-16: Integral and expected part of running your life ‘What if you didn’t have a mobile?’ ‘I’d be lonely’

20. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 20 Games and Pictures No respondents used mobile internet All used games on their mobile Camera phone used but images rarely sent except by IR or Bluetooth ‘I want a camera phone but I don’t have one because it is more likely to be stolen’ ‘I use the camera to take pictures of famous people and I just keep them’ ‘I have silly pictures of friends that come up when I call them or they call me’

21. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 21 A few thoughts for the future These Teenies were not interested in future technologies They expect things to change – but for the better & are disappointed when new tariffs bar access to services (e.g. ring tones) and games that were free The future for them is getting hold of their Dad or Mum’s present mobile as soon as he/she upgrades

22. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 22 Conclusions For Teenies it is ‘When I get my mobile phone’ not ‘If I get a mobile phone’ Behaviours found were similar to those in previous studies BUT occur at earlier age Common social practices between Teenies and adults e.g. value paradox Usage curtailed by how much they can spend Mobile phone is part of a wider communications and ICT repertoire Mobile phones are essential and fun

23. Budapest 28 – 30 April 2005 UniS: Digital World Research Centre j.vincent@surrey.ac.uk 23 Growing up with mobiles… ‘The Teenies in this survey may be the last generation in the UK for whom the mobile phone can be remembered as a new experience in their household. However, its role as a rite of passage into the Teenies years, and as a tool for social and economic parental control is likely to remain’