Mobile phones have become a part of everyday life for the country’s younger citizens, nearly all of whom own a cell phone, according to a study made public yesterday.

The survey, conducted as part of a program run by the General Secretary of Research and Technology, found that 94.3 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 22 had a mobile phone. Even children as young as 10 use cell phones, researchers found.

Young people questioned during the survey said that owning a mobile phone helps them feel safer and even liken it to “a good friend one cannot do without.”

But teenagers are also spending a large chunk of their pocket money on mobile phones.

According to the study, 12-year-olds spend more than 20 euros per month on their phone bills, which rise with the age of the cell phone-using Greek youth.