Mobile phones (an article in a recent magazine)

In relation to my earlier posts, here is an article from a magazine discussing mobile phones.

Mobile phones are one of the most heavily used consumer products in society and now they're being marketed at children as young as six years old.

Increasingly, products that were aimed at adults and teenagers are being marketed at children between the ages of six and 13, or “tweens”. Mobile phones are the latest consumer product to be pushed at this impressionable age group and this raises warranted concerns from parents.

According to a study conducted by The Australia Institute in 2007, entitled Mobile phones and the consumer kids, most children in Australia want a mobile phone and around a quarter of them already have one. In recent years, mobile phone manufacturers have honed their marketing tactics on tweens, but in their attempts to engage these young children in adult-style consumerism, have they put children under unnecessary pressure to consume?

The research paper found that, while these manufacturers’ marketing strategies are aimed at parents, on the basis of using mobile phones as a security measure for their children, most kids who own mobiles are "motivated by status and aesthetics in their purchasing decision". According to the study, young children exhibit signs of “competitive consumption” as they try to keep up with their peers. Fifty-three per cent of tweens regard the brand of their phone as important, with 61 per cent wanting the latest technology and features, and more than half of tweens who own mobile phones planned to upgrade their current models.

With the use of mobile phones to download games, videos and the latest ringtones, manufacturers and advertisers appear to be placing more financial pressure on the tween market. The study showed that one in five children who own mobiles say they spend too much on their phones - and a higher percentage of their parents agreed.

With the UK launch of a new mobile phone branded with the popular children's character Hello Kitty planned for July, phones worth upwards of $600 are being targeted at tweens as a fashion accessory. This type of high-pressure consumerism felt by children who were involved in The Australian Institute's study clearly risks the commercialisation of their childhood and could, among other issues, potentially negatively impact their development by having to take on adult financial responsibilities at a very young age.