Just under half of British children aged 12 to 15 own a smartphone, with many claiming to be “addicted” to the devices, which they use while eating, at the cinema and in bed.
Research published by Ofcom, the communications market regulator, on Thursday found that smartphone ownership was highest among younger teenagers, with 47 per cent owning a device, compared with 27 per cent of British adults.
About 60 per cent of teenagers who owned smartphones described themselves as “addicted” to their handsets and around 71 per cent of smartphone owning teens have their device switched on all the time.