Mobile phones have become de rigueur among Ireland's pre-teens, with more than three quarters of 9 to 12 year olds now saying they have their own phone, according to a new government funded survey.

In some cases, children told researchers that they got their first mobile phone when they were six or even younger, with more than one fifth saying they had a phone by the age of eight.

Experts have warned the use of mobile phones by preteens can have potential risks, including bullying text messages or calls and unsolicited contact from strangers.

The figures were compiled as part of a wider survey of 860 children in 37 schools, aged between 9 and 16 , which was undertaken by the government-funded National Centre for Technology in Education .

Almost one third of respondents in the 9- to 12-year-old age group estimated that they spend less than €6 a month on text messages and phone calls.

But more than one in five say they or their parents spend at least three times this amount – or a minimum of around €216 a year – on their phone .

Overall, an overwhelming majority of 9- to 16-year-olds – some 87% – said they own a mobile phone, with one quarter estimating they spend between €18 and €23.99 per month keeping it running. This is equivalent to between €216 and €287 per year.

However, most other young people appear to spend significantly less on their phones, with 18% estimating they spend less than €6 per month, a further 21% saying they spend between €6 and €11.99 per month, and 16% responding that they spend between €12 and €17.99 per month.

Around half of those who own a mobile phone indicate that they use prepaid or pay-as-you-go mobiles, while 27% have a monthly subscription either in their own or in their parents' name.

More than four out of 10 respondents said they pay for their mobile phone use themselves, typically out of pocket money or other sources of income such as a part-time job. But 26% said their parents meet these costs, with the same number again saying they share the costs with their parents.

A more detailed breakdown of responses from children in the 9- to 12-year-old age group shows that by this age, 76% have a mobile phone.

Some 19% said they spend between €18 and €23.99 per month on their mobiles.

When asked how old they were when they got their first mobile phone, 4% of overall respondents said they were either six or younger when this occurred. Seven per cent said they got their first phone at the age of seven, with a further 14% stating that they were aged eight when they first started using their own mobile.

This suggests that the mobile phone is increasingly being seen as a
useful "parental tool", allowing them to keep in touch with their children from an early age.

Over- ­all, 61% of those surveyed said they got a brand new mobile phone, with the majority of the others suggesting they "inherited" their phone from a parent or someone else.