Key4Communications |

Nearly a third of children aged ten or under have their own mobile phone, according to a survey by Westcoastcloud, supplier of cloud-based internet security services. Also, one in ten kids under the age of ten already owns an Iphone, and one in twenty has an Ipad. This survey also states that one in ten parents in the UK feels it's appropriate for children as young as four years old to own a mobile phone

This survey also found 17% of parents bought their kids a phone because of the children insistence, and 68% did so because they wanted to keep tabs on their kids.

The study found that 88% of parents paid the bills for their child's phone with two thirds of kids topping up monthly with 'pay as you go' payment plans. Three quarters of parents spend around £10 a month on their child's phone bill - but one in five parents have kids that rack up £20 bills.

The poll also found that a third of the children who used their parents' phones did so for internet related activities such as looking at You Tube, emailing, or using Facebook or Twitter. The survey revealed that almost one in ten primary school aged children had a social networking account - the age at which children are eligible to have a Facebook or MySpace account is 13.

Bill Strain, director of Westcoastcloud, said: "It's great that youngsters are interested and engaged with the latest technology, but children owning their own phones as young as four does seem unnecessary. Kids will always be able to gain access to their parents' phones and laptops but when primary school age children gain access to the internet on these devices, parents need to be aware. There's the potential that they could access unsuitable or potentially harmful content."

In fact, half of the parents questioned said they have no controls installed on their internet connected devices to block access to certain websites. Three quarters of parents said they wanted their child to be computer literate and 48 per cent are pleased their kids are interested in it.