According to the Office for National Statistics, a typical child aged between seven and 15 spends about£13 a week. The research, carried out between 2002 and 2004, showed that girls spend£12 a week, whereas boys spend£14.
The study found that the amount children spend rises significantly as they get older. Those aged between 13 and 15 spend as much as£20 a week, while 10- to 12-year-olds spend almost half that amount. The average spend of those aged between seven and nine is only£7.
Almost 18 per cent of children's money goes on confectionery, snacks and drinks. However, girls aged between 13 and 15 spend an average of£1.50 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 average£2.50 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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