computers

35% of kids own a mobile by the time they are 8 years old – this was the finding of the charity Personal Finance Education Group (pfeg).

The survey also discovered that three-quarters of all children aged seven to 15 owned “at least” one mobile.

It found that children as young as seven were offering to do chores in exchange for cash to buy ringtones – what? Work for their money?!!!?

Apparently by the age of 10 children were shopping online using their parents’ plastic.

A third of children (32 per cent) have used the internet to buy computer games.

A quarter of the 546 children surveyed have voted via those premium text/phone-in TV competitions.

Funnily enough only 18% have bought a book online.

Wendy van den Hende, chief executive of the charity, said: “Children today face a kind of ‘technological tipping point’ forcing them to develop financial awareness at an earlier age.

“It is therefore, vital, that they are equipped with the skills and judgment to make sound decisions about money management from an early age.”

The online survey carried out by Populus questioned 1,435 people including 546 children aged seven to 15, 676 parents and 759 grandparents between January 16 and 26.

So, is this shocking or just a “sign of the times”, as his Great Purpleness once said.

Telegraph

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