Abstract
Looks at the part that mobile phones play in young people’s lives. Emphasises that mobile phones are not just landline substitutes but are personal extensions, identity statements and fashion statements; paradoxically, the control they give to their owners to communicate when and where they choose makes mobile phones an instrument for privacy as well as independence. Describes a UK‐based research project, part of the Nestle Social Research Programme, on how mobile phones are used and whether there are age and sex differences. Concludes that mobile phones are indeed thought essential by young people, with texting prominent in their social interactions with both peers and parents; males tended to use mobile talk more than females, who used landlines more, and landlines tended to be used for “difficult” conversations; older people tended to use computer‐based email more than younger people, who appreciate the immediacy and other benefits of the mobile phone.