BigShinyThing

Almost 80% of the young people who took part in the research said they felt safer having a mobile and that they had a better social life as a result. On average, participants said that they send or receive up to 10 text messages a day — three times more than their parents.

The research forms part of the Carphone Warehouse’s Mobile Life Survey, which asked over 16,000 people about the role of mobile phones in their lives.

Other stuff that we found interesting in the report:

• For people 18-24 years old, their mobile phone matters more to them than television suggesting that the ad industry had better crack on with marketing via mobiles and content owners need to continue to explore stuff like mobisodes.
• When asked if they have ever used, or would consider using, the camera or video facility on their mobile phone to snap a celebrity [behaviour that is actively encouraged by gossip mags and blogs] or other newsworthy event, more than a third said they would. Half of people said they would use the camera or video facility on their phone to record evidence of a crime, 50%, or to actually record a crime, 47%. Because of this, mobile phones are rapidly becoming society’s self-inflicted panopticon. Sod worrying about who’s watching the watchmen, we’re too busy watching [and recording] each other.

Story courtesy of the BBC.