Children are successfully pestering their parents to give them mobile phones by the age of seven, a new survey has revealed.
Research by insurance firm Esure shows youngsters are also getting tablet computers by age eight and laptops by age 10.
But seventy per cent of parents believe nine is the earliest age a child should get their first phone, while seven per cent would rather wait until their offspring are 15.
The survey of 1,500 British parents also showed mothers and fathers have spent more than £1,000 on electronic devices for their children in the past five years, with some even going above £10,000.
Eighty percent of parents said the reasons they were splashing more cash on gadgets was due to pressure from their children, along with price increases and a greater range of products.
The study also showed children only stick to one device for an average of 18 months, with forty per cent of parents shelling out to replace broken gadgets.
Another 15 percent admitted they had placated their sons and daughters by buying new phones and tablets if they had been lost.
Jon Wilshire, Chief Underwriting Officer at esure, said, “Families are investing significant sums of money into kitting out their youngsters with the latest tech from a young age, but these items are at high risk of being broken or damaged. With this in mind, it’s important to have insurance in place that covers you these expensive items should an accident happen. Home insurance with personal possessions will cover you and your children’s gadgets both in and outside of the home.”