Mobile phones have become the third information and entertainment screen for Canadian youth along with the TV and PC. They are now spending about eight hours a day with these devices. A recent study conducted for Motorola Canada by Research Strategy Group, a Toronto-based marketing and opinion research company, found that those aged 15 to 34 are spending 23% of their time with their mobiles phones, 37% with television, and 40% with the home computer.
Mobile phone time is increasing among the younger age group, 15 to 20, who spend 39% of their time with TV and 13% with the mobile phone. The older segment, 30 to 34, spend 51% of their time with TV and 9% with the mobile phone.
The teens and young adults surveyed are primarily using their phones to make and receive calls (98%) and most are text messaging (61%). They are downloading ringtones (44%) and playing video games (32%).
More than one in four (28%) use their mobile phone as their main or only phone and four in five have their mobile with them (80%) or turned on all of the time (77%).
Other findings include:
* While 8% are currently downloading and listening to music on their mobile phones, more that half of those polled (55%) find this feature appealing;
* While 19% are sending and receiving email with their mobile, 67% are interested in doing so;
* Nearly one quarter (22%) are currently capturing, downloading and sharing photos on their mobile phone, but 68% say it’s an intriguing feature to have on a mobile device;
* 14% are accessing news, weather and sports information while more than half (56%) are interested in this function;
* 7% are recording and sharing video clips but almost half polled (44) find it appealing.
Research Strategy Group collected the data for the Third Screen study during 1001 online interviews conducted in June of this with 15- to 34- year-olds, each with access to a mobile phone for personal use.
