The number of kids aged 5-15 in the UK with a mobile phone is falling

"Despite the rise of mobile phones across almost every demographic of UK society, it seems the number of children who own their own handset is going down.
A new report from Ofcom reveals that the number of 5 to 15-year-olds who own a mobile phone has fallen from 49% in 2012 to 43% in 2013. The reason? They’re rejecting basic ‘feature phones’ and getting their parents to buy them tablets instead, with uptake this year tripling – up to 42% from 14% in 2012.
More specifically, the percentage of younger children (8-11) who own a basic feature phone rather than a smartphone fell to 15% this year, from 28% last year. Of this age group, 18% own a smartphone, and the same proportion own a tablet, with ownership growing four-fold since 2012.
Among slightly older children, smartphones still remain more widely used than tablets with roughly 62% of 12 to 15-year-olds owning a smartphone, with 26% now possessing a tablet, up from 7% last year. A little more than a quarter of infants aged 3-4 now use a tablet at home too."

Source:  The Next Web, 3rd October 2013

Full 220 page Ofcom report is here