More girls than boys use smartphones

Girls are bigger smartphone users than boys, research into children's technology habits by a British research firm says. Market research firm Mintel, based in London, reported girls ages 7 to 15 are more likely to own a smartphone than boys and 45 percent of girls say they use a smartphone every day compared with 35 percent of boys. Girls are also more likely than boys to own MP3 players and laptop computers, Mintel said, although boys are more likely to own desktop computers. "Where there is a difference, it's because boys tend to go for the big-ticket items," Samuel Gee, a technology analyst at Mintel, told The Daily Telegraph. Girls were more likely to be smartphone users because they tended to be drawn to gadgets that promote communication and collaboration while boys prefer entertainment devices, Gee said. Half of all parents surveyed said they considered it important for their children to be familiar with new technology, Mintel said.