Tech tussle as parents permit smartphones but forbid downloads
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This is according to the latest research from the Halifax Annual Pocket Money Survey. This does not deter children however, with over eight in 10 (85%) kids downloading from the internet.
When it comes to the content kids are downloading, sometimes against their parents’ wishes, games (63%) and apps (58%) are the most popular, compared to music (52%) and films (22%).
More than a third (36%) of parents who do not allow children to spend their pocket money on digital downloads cite accessing inappropriate content as a reason. One in three (31%) parents are also worried about children overspending online, with dads more concerned than mums (39% vs 26%).
Almost three quarters (73%) of children own a mobile phone, with over nine in 10 (91%) owning a smart device. The popularity of other types of digital devices however has fallen out of fashion.
Only a third of children (33%) own an iPod and less than a fifth own an MP3 player (22%). Parents are also still paying for most of children’s mobile phone bills.
Over eight in 10 children (82%) say it is the responsibility of their parents to pay their bills, with only one in 10 (13%) saying it is down to them. ■