{"id":9001,"date":"2025-01-27T12:39:43","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T01:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techdaily.com.au\/b2\/?p=9001"},"modified":"2025-01-21T12:53:37","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T01:53:37","slug":"588-million-back-to-school-phone-spend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techdaily.com.au\/b2\/588-million-back-to-school-phone-spend\/","title":{"rendered":"$588 Million Back-to-School Phone Spend"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Australian Parents Prioritize Peace of Mind with $588 Million Back-to-School Phone Spend<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0As the back-to-school season approaches, more than 1.1 million Australian children are set to receive a new or upgraded phone, with parents gearing up to spend a staggering $588 million on the devices, according to new research from Life360, a leading family safety and location-sharing app.<\/p>\n

Despite the financial strain, the research suggests that for parents, it’s a worthwhile investment in their children’s safety and well-being. The top reasons cited for purchasing phones include reaching kids quickly in emergencies (82%), facilitating communication with family (58%), and accessing location-sharing technology (48%).<\/p>\n

It seems like Peace of Mind Has No Price.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The investment comes at a time when family budgets are already stretched thin, with 67% of parents of 5 to 18-year-olds admitting purchasing and running kids’ phones is a financial concern. However, the research suggests that parents view mobile devices as a necessary expense for peace of mind and safety. Notably, one-in-five children own a phone by age 10, a figure that jumps to 53% just before their teenage years.<\/p>\n

To make the investment possible, families are allocating 40% of their back-to-school budgets to buy and run their kids’ phones. Many are adjusting their spending habits, with 25% dipping into savings, delaying other purchases (24%), cutting back on household expenses (22%), and hunting for the best promotions (24%). Some are even exploring financing plans (16%) or borrowing money (7%) to ensure their children are equipped with a device.<\/p>\n

Growing Popularity of Location Sharing<\/strong><\/p>\n

For parents who’ve decided their child is ready for a phone, location sharing is becoming a key consideration in the back-to-school juggle. The majority of parents say it helps to reduce back-to-school stress (58%), and secondary school kids express that it makes them feel safe (73%) and increases their independence (44%).<\/p>\n

In January 2024, Life360 saw a 50% surge in downloads around the back-to-school period. The survey reveals that in the last 12 months, 82% of parents have increased their likelihood or solidified their decision to adopt the technology. This trend is largely driven by a desire to give children greater autonomy (38%), along with heightened local safety concerns (35%), children asking their parents to have their location (20%), and the need to manage longer working hours or time spent away from home (18%).<\/p>\n

Nearly half of those who use location sharing (48%) say they do so to ensure their children arrive at school safely each day, 58% rely on it to manage emergencies, and 35% use it to let their children try new activities independently. Beyond safety, location sharing is proving to be an invaluable organizational tool for busy families. Forty-four percent of parents who use location sharing do so to streamline school pick-ups and drop-offs, while 31% say it reduces the need for frequent check-ins with their children throughout the day, providing both convenience and peace of mind.<\/p>\n

Collett Smart, psychologist and teen expert, commented on the findings: “Managing the balance between fostering independence in a new school year and keeping kids safe can feel complicated for parents – and increasingly the nuanced conversation around the dos and don’ts of managing kids’ phone use is sitting at the centre of this juggle.”<\/p>\n

“This year, despite the strain on family budgets, the survey suggests parents are set on providing their child with a phone, with location-sharing playing a key part of this peace-of-mind driven decision. Apps like Life360 are slowly becoming a modern safety net for busy families – but it should be used transparently and with trust, ultimately empowering children to explore their independence confidently as the new school year begins.”<\/p>\n

Life360 is a popular chose for family location sharing.\u00a0 You’ll find more information at Life360.com.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the back-to-school season approaches, more than 1.1 million Australian children are set to receive a new or upgraded phone, with parents gearing up to spend a staggering $588 million on the devices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[824],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n$588 Million Back-to-School Phone Spend - Tech Daily with Andy Wells<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/techdaily.com.au\/b2\/588-million-back-to-school-phone-spend\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"$588 Million Back-to-School Phone Spend - 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