Cell phones reach more than half of children and adolescents aged 10 to 13 years

For the first time, more than half of children and adolescents aged 10 to 13 have a cell phone for personal use in Brazil, according to data released this Friday (16) by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

From 2019 to 2021, the percentage in this age group that had the device went from 46.7% to 51.4%. The result is part of a module of the Pnad Contínua (Continuous National Household Sample Survey) on information and communication technology.

The highest percentage of children and young people with cell phones was found in the South (59.4%). The North had the lowest (32.9%).

The historical series began in 2016 and was interrupted in 2020. The pause occurred at the time because data collection was hampered by the restrictions of the initial year of the pandemic. Therefore, the focus of the research is the comparison of 2021 with 2019, before the health crisis.

Cell phone use generally increased during this period. The proportion of people aged ten and over who had the device rose from 81.4% to 84.4%. At the beginning of the series, in 2016, it was at 77.4%.

In 2021, the highest percentage was recorded in the 30-34 age group: 93.4%. The lowest is still related to Brazilians aged 10 to 13 (51.4%), despite recent advances.

At the other end of the list, populated by the oldest population, aged 60 or over, the proportion with a cell phone rose from 66.6% in 2019 to 71.2% in 2021.

Nearly 60% of seniors access the internet

Also according to the IBGE, the proportion of people aged ten and over who used the internet in the reference period of the survey rose from 79.5% to 84.7% from 2019 to 2021.

The percentages grew in all age groups. The slice with 25 to 29 years old registered the highest level of connection: 94.5%.

Proportionally, the group aged 60 and over is the one that least uses the internet. However, from 2019 to 2021, the percentage of use increased the most. It went from 44.8% to 57.5%, an increase of 12.7 percentage points. Thus, for the first time, it surpassed the level of 50%, pointed out the IBGE.