Girls bigger smartphone users than boys: study

Tech-savvy girls in the UK are more likely than boys to own and use a smartphone and other mobile devices, according to a new research.

Girls aged between seven and 15 are more likely to own a smartphone than boys and 45% of girls said they use a smartphone every day, compared with 35% of boys, the study from a UK-based market research firm has found.

Girls are also more likely than boys to own MP3 players and laptop computers, The Telegraph reported.

Boys are more likely to own desktop computers, however.

"Where there is a difference, it's because boys tend to go for the big ticket items," said Samuel Gee, a technology analyst at Mintel.

He said that girls were more likely to use smartphones than boys because girls tended to be drawn to gadgets that promote communication and collaboration, while boys prefer entertainment devices.

Just 14% of children aged between seven and 15 said that they never use a smartphone, the research found, though younger children were less likely to use them.