New research has revealed that parents are now more likely to give their children phone credit than pocket money.

The research, which was admittedly carried out by a leading mobile comparison website, showed that 67% of parents said they're more likely to offer their child a top up on their mobile, then pocket money. 17% of the 2,276 parents with children aged 8-16 who took part in the survey admitted to paying a monthly contract for their kid's mobile phone.

More surprising was the number of parents with children aged 8-10, 36% said their children had a mobile phone. This seems like a really young age to me.
Parents who have given their children mobile phones claim safety is a key issue, with 81% saying they want to make sure they can contact them at all times.11% of parents also claim that they prefer to give their children phone credit over pocket money, as they're concerned what they may buy with the money.

Personally, I think it's a great lesson for children to learn how to save up and budget for the month ahead. A top up is also significantly more than the average amount of pocket money, which means a lot of parents are probably forking out far more now.

What do you think about this new trend? Do you give your children phone credit instead of pocket money?

Source: RightMobilePhone