• ReadWriteWeb, Monday, April 4, 2011 11:56 AM

Implausible though it may seem, one-in-five kids in kindergarten through second grade now own a cellphone, according to new study cited by ReadWriteWeb. Nearly 30% of third through fifth graders now own their own phones, compared to just over 50% of middle schoolers. Meanwhile, 34% of middle school students -- and 44% of high school students -- now have smartphones, according to the study of nearly 300,000 students, 43,000 parents, 35,000 teachers, 2,000 librarians and 3,500 administrators by national nonprofit Project Tomorrow.

What's more, a clear majority of parents surveyed -- 67% -- said that they were willing to buy their children a mobile device for school if the schools allowed it, and they seemed particularly interested in their children using gadgets to access online textbooks. However, as ReadWriteWeb notes, school administrators surveyed were not supportive of cellphones in the classroom, with a full 65% of principals saying "No way!"

Read the whole story at ReadWriteWeb »