It’s not a huge surprise. UK kids 10-14 are quickly becoming the most sophisticated cell-phone users, according to the latest study by British research firm Teleconomy. “Even toddlers are able to tell the difference between incoming phone calls and text messages,” the BBC reports. Seventy-one percent of kids are aware of video phones, compared to 54% of adults, and some 66% know about Java applications like games, as opposed to 44% of adults. Here are some other findings: For kids, phones are more like computers here in the US – more for downloading things “such as pop news, games and ringtones” than for communicating. “Phone functions” is what they zoom right in on, so they can personalize their phones. Because one’s mobile can be a ticket into certain social groups, the study found. Also, “in some cases the phones themselves are becoming ‘virtual playgrounds,’ as children fill their free time with texting their friends and playing games.”
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