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Being blindfolded is no impediment to texting, say 47% of Teens

Original article: www.marketingcharts.com
Cell Phones Key to Teens’ Social Lives, 47% Can Text with Eyes Closed

Have you ever wondered what percentage of teenagers use mobile phones? No? Well neither have I - I’d always assumed the answer was “all of them.” In fact, the number of mobile phone subscriptions actually exceeds the population of Australia (according to a report by ICT statistics 2008), which brings about the ridiculous notion that mobile phones are being used by everybody, and then some! (Must be my pet walrus, I wonder if he’s on Optus…?)

In what may come as a surprise, not all teenagers carry a mobile phone. But take heart – and this is a message to all that don’t (yes both of you) – those that do are taking up the slack with regard to usage. As the bold text at the top of this article suggests, teens with mobiles are texting feverishly to the extent that 47% report being able to text with their eyes closed. Some poor souls are seriously working overtime: “if people want to call me in the middle of the night, I'm happy to talk… sleep's not that important” says Teenager1 from a report by Deborah Rice of the ABC.

Is this culture of mobile phone usage causing health concerns for teenage heavy users? I’m sure it is! But that’s not what we’re here to discuss. Besides I’m sure we all have much more pressing concerns on hand, like sitting through another episode of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’. Andrew Fuller (also of the ABC) asked a group of teenagers if they had any concerns for their health and mobile phone usage, but they were too busy on another call. Fuller says “the amount of effrontery that young people experience when I suggest they might switch off their mobile phone is extraordinary. They just think that they're actually going to be left out of a discussion that's going to be absolutely vital occurring at 3am.”

Well, just to satisfy your curiosity, here are some fun facts: (Quotes from teenagers2 & 3, ABC report by Deborah Rice)

• 47% of teens suggest their social life would be worsened or end(!) without their mobile: “you can't turn your phone off. It's too scary, you feel like you're away from life.”
• 57% argue that their phones have improved their life: “when you get a text message, you say, "Somebody loves me!"”
• Teenagers report that, second only to clothing, your mobile phone tells the most about your social status – more so than jewellery / watches / shoes. “Duh!”
• 52% of teenagers view mobiles as a new form of entertainment (we happen to agree with that one…)
• And laughably, while only 18% say that they would care to know where friends and family are (presumably via GPS tracking), 36% absolutely detest the idea that
anyone would be able to find out exactly where they were.

And what are teenagers saying about their future mobiles? This is what they want from the latest round of social-life-facilitators:

• Guaranteed secured data access to the user only (80%)
• Provide accessibility to personal health records (66%)
• Present opportunities to be educated anywhere in the world (66%)
• Bring users closer to global issues impacting teens’ world (63%)
• Are shockproof and waterproof (81%)
• Have endless power (80%)
• Feature a privacy screen (58%)
• Are made of flexible material and fold into different shapes and sizes (39%)
• Have artificial intelligence - ask it questions and it gives answers (38%) Sounds good to me.

(Data courtesy of CTIA and Harris Interactive, 2008)