Most young people in the UK have their own mobile phone - according to Ofcom, nearly nine in ten 12-15 year olds, half of 8-11 year olds and one in ten 5-7 year olds own a mobile.
Did you know?
Two in three children with a mobile phone have acquired their phone by the time they are 10 years old (Source: Ofcom Children's Media Literacy Report, March 2010) and, according to US research, half of teens send more than 50 text messages a day, with older teenage girls averaging 100 texts a day (Source: Pew Internet, April 2010).
All sorts of services and features are now available on mobiles - from internet access to games, social networking to photos and video clips - and they are now second nature to children and teenagers.
Teachers TV ‘Mobile Phones, Mobile Minds’ (primary and secondary)
This 30 minute programme looks at how young people use mobiles and their impact on schools and education.
Unlike home computers, which are often shared with other family members, mobiles are often used by one person and are potentially always on, so supervising a child's use of their mobile can be difficult.
It's therefore important that you help your students to understand how to use them safely and responsibly.
For example, did you know that they could run up large phone bills if they vote for the favourite reality TV show on a premium rate number every week? Or that they could receive malicious text messages from people they know...or even from strangers?
Just look at the questions below for more information on these issues and others related to mobiles and young people and read our tips on privacy and personal safety.