Tween and cell phone use

According to a new MediaPost article, pre-teens are more connected than ever before, thanks to a rise in mobile phone use.

The Nielsen Company released the findings of an in-depth study on the mobile media and cross-media behavior of U.S. tweens (ages 8-12). The report estimates that 35% of tweens own a mobile phone, 20% of tweens have used text messaging, and 21% of tweens have used ring & answer tones, the article said.

The "godfathers" of the tween market are Dave Siegel, Greg Livingston, and Tim Coffey of The Wonder Group whose groundbreaking book, The Great Tween Buying Machine, came out in 2001 and for the first time defined what it means to be a "tween" consumer. You can still buy copies of the original hardcover of this book from Paramount Market Publishing.

Based on their on-going research on kids and markets, the three co-founders of WonderGroup wrote The New SuperConsumer, Mom+Kid in 2006, defining the new relationship between moms and their kids and the growing influence of kids on family purchases.

One point that The New Super Consumer makes is how much more proficient tweens and teens are at multi-tasking than their parents are. With the rise of cell phone use and text messaging, this multitasking is increasing exponentially. Even walking down the street now is usually accompanied by some other activity, especially the use of the cell phone.