Does a nine year old need a mobile phone?

Being wired into the Internet and mobile technology here at UBC, I wonder how my life would be different if I grew up with mobile phones, digital cameras, and the Internet. Would I be able to multi-task better, would I be a more critical thinker, and would I view my mobile phone more as a fashion accessory rather than a practical device?

Last weekend I came across articles and studies that discuss how mobile phones companies are beginning to focus on the 'tweens market (those between 8 - 12 or 9-13 years) as the current market penetration for this segment of society is quite small. Mobile telecommunication companies may see this as an opportunity to instill brand loyalty at an early age.

I was initially directed to this article in Time from Feb 16, 2007 entitled "Cell Phones for the SpongeBob Set" which discussed the efforts of Kajeet, a start-up company in the USA, to beta-test a mobile phone service directed at kids, in which kids where part of the development process. The author's daughter is part of the testing phase.

Kajeet is trying to blend cool technology with practical parenting to create a must have gadget. At a suburban Baltimore research facility recently, a group of pre-adolescent beta testers prepared to share their feelings about the service. The good news for Kajeet: all four guinea pigs, Christian, Derrick, Trent and Nick gave the phone service high marks. "I've been wanting for something like this for a year. It makes me feel independent and my friends can find me anytime," said Derrick, 12, adding after a pause, "and if I'm in trouble I can call my parents." Kajeet will offer versions with and without cameras, but the group was unanimous that a phone that couldn't take pictures was hardly worth having.

Ironically, Kajeet's success may well have little to do with actual phone calls. The device is really a next-generation multi-media networking platform in a youthful, and slightly edgy package. Or in other words, an alluring toy. A few weeks into my daughter's testing phase, I spotted her roaming around the house delightedly barking into the handset: "Code Red Alert. Code Red Alert." Under closer scrutiny, it became clear the phone wasn't even switched on. When I asked what she was doing she breezily replied: "I'm just playing. None of my friends have cell phones so I don't actually have anyone to call," she said. If Kajeet's homework pays off, that won't be the case for much longer.

I am interested in the test marketing of this product to kids. What features are most popular? Would text messaging be popular among these kids and what technology are they already exposed to in their everyday life? How were these beta-testers chosen?

Are they already digital-savvy kids as discussed in a previous time cover story entitled "The Multitasking Generation"? I find it interesting that the author's daughter doesn't feel inclined to contact her friends on their home phones. It may be that people desire a common communication tool to interact and with teens just like 2 walkie-talkies are more fun that one and a base-station, having 2 mobile phones just makes the experience _cool_.

It seems that 'tweens in Australia are also being targeted by mobile phone companies according to a Feb 2007 Australia Institute research paper entitled "Mobile Phones and the Consumer Kids".

According to their press release, the findings show:

• Mobile phones are marketed to parents on security grounds, but most children who own them are motivated by status and aesthetics in their purchasing decision.

• Fifty-three per cent of tweens believe the brand of their phone is important and 62 percent believe that the way the phone looks is important. Sixty-one per cent of child mobile phone owners want the latest technology and features and 54 per cent plan to upgrade their phone.

• As phones become more expensive and children are encouraged to use phones to download the latest ringtones, games and videos, the costs rise.

• Of children who own mobile phones, almost one in five say they spend too much on their mobile phones; and even more of their parents agree.

Although in separate parts of the world, this may reflect a conscious effort of mobile phone companies/startups to market to a new and receptive audience. It is interesting that both the Time article (USA) and the research paper (Australia) were released within the last week. One wonders if young children are able to understand the consequences associated with spending money on their mobile phones. Is this the beginning of a debt cycle as some adults fear?

writer: Phillip Jeffrey, MAGIC