Children and mobile phones: There are rules, they are rarely followed

• Schools have more authority than parents as far as mobile etiquette is concerned
• Children get irritated by thoughtlessness but do not care about safety
• One-third of parents phone without hands-free accessories while driving

Prague, 15 May 2007 - T-Mobile announced the results of a survey conducted among children, parents and teachers on the occasion of celebrating the first annual Mobile Etiquette Day. There were 562 respondents and the topics of the questions ranged from the use of mobile phones at school and at home to the "mobile" habits of the young. As it turned out, the latter of these topics sheds some more light on the behavior of subscribers to BAV SE, which was the first tariff plan in the Czech Republic aimed at children and teenagers.

Children and mobile etiquette
Children start to get irritated by thoughtlessness when using the mobile phone - more than half of them despise loud phone ringing, especially at school, in the cinema, at the doctor's and at after-school clubs. However, they often ignore the safety precautions: About one-third of children make calls while riding a bike or rollerblading. This is not surprising, as their parents usually serve as examples in this respect; a full third of them make phone calls without a hands-free kit while driving.

In spite of the fact that schools and parents adhere to certain rules, most children and teenagers ignore them. A quarter of students admit receiving a phone call during a lesson at least once, sending SMS on a regular basis and taking photos or videos of their teachers and fellow students. More than one-third of teachers have encountered cheating with the use of a mobile phone.

Schools vs. parents
The results of the survey show that schools have much greater authority over young people than their parents do, at least as far as mobile etiquette is concerned. Two-thirds of schools specify how students should use their mobile phones on their premises and these rules are followed by about half of them. Parents scored worse: Only one-third of them insist on compliance with certain rules, only 40% of which are obeyed. It is also interesting to note that while one-third of children stated that they had been given rules for using mobile phones by their parents, a full two-thirds of the adults claimed that they had stipulated such rules.

It has already been mentioned that parents are careless drivers as far as the use of mobile phones is concerned. The attitude of teachers toward mobile etiquette at work proved to be similar. A full third of the questioned teachers admitted that they receive calls and check SMS while teaching. One-fifth of teachers tolerate their students doing the same thing.

Most teachers would allow carrying mobile phones to school; only a few teachers promote an absolute ban on this practice. Teachers are also aware of the usefulness of mobile phones in communication between schools and parents. According to the respondents, about half of schools currently use this possibility.

Children and mobile phones
Most parents use mobile phones primarily for checking the current location of their kids. A full one-fourth of them buy a phone for their children between the ages of six and eight, 20% between ages 8 and 10 and 40% after age ten.

While 40% of young phone users spend less than CZK 200 per month on calling, texting and other related services, 10% of them spend more than CZK 1,000 each month. Almost 40% of teenagers cover the phone-related costs from their weekly allowance. Three-quarters of parents replace their children's phones every two years.

By way of comparison, according to T-Mobile's figures most BAV SE tariff users (children and young people aged 6 to 26) spend between CZK 200 and CZK 500 monthly and make 45 calls on average. An average BAV SE tariff user also sends 135 text messages per month and enjoys downloads as well: this user group is particularly keen on playing Java games and trying out various MP3 ringtones.

About the jaXmobilem project
Mobile Etiquette Day is part of the successful jaXmobilem project in which T­Mobile has been involved, in co-operation with the cartoonist Štěpán Mareš, since 2006, when a website under the same name was launched. The jaXmobilem project to promote mobile etiquette complements T-Mobile's comprehensive program of corporate social responsibility, which also includes, for example, the T-Mobile Fund intended to support local initiatives in the regions where T-Mobile has its offices. Furthermore, T-Mobile organizes an annual charity auction and a volunteer program for its employees, supports waste recycling on its premises and is the first mobile operator in the market to have enabled customers to hand in their old handsets at retail shops for the purpose of ecological disposal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.