In 2002 only eight percent of 7-9 year-olds had cell phones, a year later this number had doubled to one in six having mobiles. In the age group 10-11 years 58 percent use mobiles, up 12 percent points in a year.

Nearly all older children have cell phones: 89 percent of 12-13 year-olds, 96 percent of 14-15 year-olds and 100 percent of 16-21 year-olds own and use mobiles. The survey measured habits at 1,500 households across the country.

Berit Skog, a researcher at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), said there were positive effects. Parents could now find and make contact with their children more easily and writing text messages is considered good literacy training.

The Telenor study is also attracting attention abroad as Norway is the first country in the world to have an age group with 100 percent saturation of mobile phones.

Skog said that mobile phone use was a supplement to normal, face-to-face communication and that it was not a danger as long as parents controlled the phone's use in terms of setting cost limits and what kind of services the child could download.