More than a quarter (26pc) of people in Britain are going to hand over older technology and smartphones to their parents as a result of having received new devices for Christmas, research from mobile operator Three suggests.
This practice is more apparent among 18-24-year-olds, with 43pc of them planning to bequeath their old smartphone to Mum or Dad.
The research also shows that women are more likely than men to give a parent an older smartphone (29pc), while most men would hand their old device over to a friend (22pc). Only 4pc of the research participants indicated they would give their old smartphone to a grandparent.
For 50pc of people, the main reason they will pass on older technology to family and friends is because their existing device is ‘outdated’ and with finances tight at Christmas, 33pc said they would like to help family and friends save money by giving them their older device.
In previous years, the market has seen sales of new smartphones almost double in the month of December, meaning more than half a million pre-loved smartphones could be looking for a new home around Christmastime, Three said.
