Youngsters’ Cell Phone Use Gets Disney’s Attention.

Walt Disney is getting into the cellphone business, teaming with Sprint on a Disney-branded wireless service.

More and more children are going mobile. The Kaiser Family Foundation, in its report, “Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year Olds,” found that 39% of children and teens own their own cellphone.

According to a recent study by NOP World, mobile phone ownership penetration increased from 13% of 12 to 14 year-olds in 2002 to 40% in 2004. Penetration among 15 to 17 year-olds increased from 42% to 75% over the same period. Overall, NOP World found, 16 million young people ages 10 to 18 own a mobile phone.

The Kaiser Family Foundation found somewhat lower ownership levels. Among children 15 to 18, 56% owned a cellphone, it reported. But ownership was prevalent even among very young children — more than one in five kids age 8 to 10 own their own phone.

Disney said its mobile service will include exclusive handsets and a package of features and applications tailored to families, plus entertainment content.

“This enhanced mobile service offering will ensure Disney’s place as a leader in the family mobile market, one of the fastest growing segments of the mobile industry,” said Steve Wadsworth, president of the Walt Disney Internet Group. “We’ll be in investment mode for the next several years, but expect that over the long run this initiative will generate solid financial returns for the company.”

Younger mobile users have been quicker than older groups to adopt wireless applications like text messaging and game playing. Still, according to a survey released in 2004 by TNS, calling friends and parents was by far the most common activity.