Aussie kids connected

MORE than one in three Aussie kids now have a smartphone.

A survey by online comparison website Finder of 1033 parents of children aged under 12 found that 35 per cent of kids owned a phone. Finder said that figure had increased from 22 per cent just three years earlier in 2018.

The research revealed that of those who had a smartphone, the average age for receiving it was just over 7.5 years old. Children from NSW were the most likely to have a phone, with 45 per cent of kids aged under 12 owning one. West Australian kids were next with 35 per cent, then Victoria with 31 per cent.