Text messaging, 2005
In Australia, it is estimated that 250 million text messages are sent each month, with eight million messages sent on Valentines Day 2002 alone.
Some results from a study at Macquarie University into text messaging habits of approximately 100 young adults, aged between 18 and 35 (three-quarters of whom were first-year university students – all were in a dating relationship, or were engaged or married):
- Most budding romances start off with lots of SMS action
- Text messaging is ‘less confrontational and more distant’
- 10.9% of people studied admitted to sending their partners flirtatious and sexual messages
- 15.8% also admitted to breaking up via SMS
- Women were more likely to send romantic messages to their partners
- Young men were more comfortable sending practical messages than romantic ones
- Text messaging was often used to enhance intimacy
- However, it could equally be used to increase distance, avoid face-to-face communication and avoid confrontation
Sources: The Daily Telegraph, 14/10/2005, p.9, Macquarie University News, October 2005, Love Textually by Greg Welsh [viewed 18/01/2007].
Adolescent mobile phone use, 2004
A 2004 Australian Psychological Society study on adolescent mobile phone use found that 82% of adolescents surveyed rated being able to contact their parents at any time as one of the most important reasons for having a mobile phone. However, 37% of adolescents reported instances when they needed to contact their parents but were unable to do so because they had no credit on their mobile phone.
The study of 258 adolescents in Years 7 to 12, and 166 parents of adolescents, also found that 41% of young people surveyed rated not being able to contact someone in an emergency as their primary concern if they no longer had a mobile phone.
While 51% of parents surveyed allowed their adolescent to have a mobile phone for ‘safety reasons and in order to facilitate contact’, and 68% of parents surveyed believed that they knew where their child was at any time because they had a mobile phone, 77% of parents reported times when they needed to contact their child urgently but their child did not answer their phone.
Other findings from the study:
Adolescents with a mobile phone
- 83% currently had a mobile phone; 17% did not.
- 66% had a pre-paid phone system.
- 60% wanted to upgrade to a better model of phone.
- 63% said that over half of their mobile phone calls were to friends, while 19% said that over three-quarters of their calls were to friends.
- 27% say that having a mobile phone ‘has improved their friendships’.
- 98% said that their school had rules about mobile phone use; 46% reported ‘always sticking to these rules’.
- 58% reported having no parental rules about their mobile phone use.
- 27% reported using their mobile phone ‘to organise activities that their parents were not aware of’.
- 10% of adolescents reported receiving threatening mobile phone messages.
- 29% reported receiving mobile phone messages from someone with whom they did not want to be in contact.
- 16% reported feeling ‘unable to control their mobile phone use’.
- 5% of parents surveyed wished that their adolescent did not have a mobile phone.
- 16% of adolescents and 8% of parents reported conflict over the adolescent’s mobile phone bills.
Age when first given a mobile phone
| Younger then 13 years | 16% |
| 13–14 years | 57% |
| 15–18 years | 27% |
Estimated daily mobile phone use (phone calls)
| No calls most days | 39% |
| 1–2 calls per day | 40% |
| 3–5 calls per day | 18% |
| 5+ calls per day | 3% |
Estimated daily mobile phone use (SMS messages)
| No messages most days | 33% |
| 1–2 messages per day | 27% |
| 3–5 messages per day | 26% |
| 6–10 messages per day | 8% |
| 10+ messages per day | 6% |
Arrangement for payment of mobile phone bills
| Parents pay all costs | 51% |
| Adolescent pays all costs | 26% |
| Adolescent shares costs with parents | 18% |
| Other arrangements | 5% |
Adolescents without mobile phones
- Of those without a mobile phone, 47% felt ‘left out of social interactions’ and 33% ‘sometimes felt pressured to get a mobile phone’. However, 91% of adolescents with a mobile phone said that they respected those who decided that they ‘don’t need a mobile phone’.
- 72% of adolescents without a mobile phone reported wanting to get one.
- The main reason adolescents gave for not having a mobile phone was that their parents would not let them (46%).
Sources:
Australian Psychological Society 2004, APS study finds parents are relying on mobile phones to keep kids safe, media release 7 November, Australian Psychological Society [viewed 18/01/2007].
Australian Psychological Society 2004, Psychosocial aspects of mobile phone use among adolescents, Australian Psychological Society [viewed 18/01/2007].
Sydney Morning Herald 22/5/06, p.9.
Mobile phone use, NSW, 2004
In July 2004, a major new study of youth phone use reveals the average age for under-18s to begin using mobiles is 13 and many are spending more than half their income on bills.
Youth Action & Policy Association (YAPA) polled 550 young people, aged under 18, in NSW about their mobile-phone use. The survey found:
- 20% admitted phone debt had caused them major problems
- fewer than 10% knew where to go for help with debt
- 40% had received monthly bills for more than $200
- 4 % had received bills for more than $1500
- more than one in 10 spent more than 50% of their income on phone bills.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald Phone bills putting under-18s in serious debt [viewed 18/01/2007].
Back to topMobile phone use, NSW, 2004
In July 2004, a major new study of youth phone use reveals the average age for under-18s to begin using mobiles is 13 and many are spending more than half their income on bills.
Youth Action & Policy Association (YAPA) polled 550 young people, aged under 18, in NSW about their mobile-phone use. The survey found:
- 20% admitted phone debt had caused them major problems
- fewer than 10% knew where to go for help with debt
- 40% had received monthly bills for more than $200
- 4 % had received bills for more than $1500
- more than one in 10 spent more than 50% of their income on phone bills.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald Phone bills putting under-18s in serious debt [viewed 18/01/2007].
Young drivers and road safety, SA, 2003
In 2003, the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA) conducted a series of metropolitan and regional workshops involving young people aged 15 to 25 years to discuss a range of road safety issues specific to this demographic. Subsequent to this, they surveyed 405 young people through telephone interviews.‘Mobile phones’ was one of the categories included in the survey.
Results:
- Most do not take calls when driving (37% metro, 28% rural).
- Most do not make calls when driving (10% metro, 16% rural).
- Many (39% metro, 42% rural) read text messages when driving.
- Less (20% metro, 23% rural) write/send text messages when driving.
- About 75% agreed mobile phones were a distraction.