Teens' cell phone use rocketing

The number of mobile phones used by 16- to 19-year-olds grew fivefold between 1998 and 2000, according to a preliminary report dubbed "Mobile Youth" by London-based business network Wireless World Forum (W2F). W2F cited technology-savvy parents, European prepay tariffs, stylish handsets, peer pressure and instant messaging as the biggest factors encouraging teens to use mobile devices.

"The youth are more sensitive to brand and peer-group pressures and increasingly less receptive to traditional marketing methods," said W2F founding partner Graham Brown. W2F will release the full results of its study in an online report in the fourth quarter, and at that time it will also host a conference on how businesses can target the youth market.