Eight in 10 Belgian teens own a smartphone

More than 80% of adolescents in Belgium between the ages of 13 and 16 own a smartphone. Nearly half of the parents keep an eye on the monthly data usage, reports DataNews.be, based on a study by French smartphone brand Wiko and online research company iVox. The survey interviewed 2,687 Belgians online.

While 51.5% of the adolescents in Flanders say that they have a smartphone because they asked for one, 46.6% of the respondents in Wallonia cite being reachable during an emergency as the main reason.

Phone usage was also examined, revealing that 80% of parents talk to their children about social networks, and nearly 70% talk to them about the use of apps. More than half of the parents are convinced that a smartphone has a positive influence on their child's development.

Despite their good intentions, however, parents do not seem to be fully aware of how the phones are used, according to the study. About 81% of parents believe that they are primarily used for texting, followed by social networking and listening to music.

"It is interesting to note that parents think their children use their smartphone mainly to send text messages," says Stéphane Cassiman, country manager at Benelux Wiko. "While the reality is they're mainly used for social networking, watching videos and photos, listening to music and playing games."