According to the Office for National Statistics, a typical child aged between seven and 15 spends aboutÂŁ13 a week. The research, carried out between 2002 and 2004, showed that girls spendÂŁ12 a week, whereas boys spendÂŁ14.
The study found that the amount children spend rises significantly as they get older. Those aged between 13 and 15 spend as much asÂŁ20 a week, while 10- to 12-year-olds spend almost half that amount. The average spend of those aged between seven and nine is onlyÂŁ7.
Almost 18 per cent of children's money goes on confectionery, snacks and drinks. However, girls aged between 13 and 15 spend an average ofÂŁ1.50 a week on mobile phones - nearly twice as much as boys.
Spending on clothes also differs between boys and girls, according to the study. Girls aged between 13 and 15 spend almost a quarter of their money on clothes, more than double the averageÂŁ2.50 spent by boys of the same age.
Personal hygiene was low down on the list of contenders for children's cash, especially with teenage boys, who spent an average of 20p a week on such products. However, girls are more fastidious, spending six times as much on their personal hygiene.
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