LONG gone are the days when children communicated with their pals by knocking on the front door and asking them out to play, or teenagers racked up enormous phone bills on their parents' land line.

In the space of three years the mobile phone has become such a must-have item, that most children now own one.

And owners are becoming younger, with even primary school pupils wanting to take their phones into school.

A recent survey of 1,000 youngsters aged 11 to 15 from all over the country found that nine out of 10 own a mobile phone.

Despite fears of possible health hazards, 10 per cent of the youngsters questioned claimed that they chatted on their handsets for more than 45 minutes a day.

Only 11 per cent of the under-16s who took part in the survey thought they had been affected by radiation from their phones, with the majority highlighting headaches as the main complaint.

The mobile phone craze has led to tough decisions for headteachers who have been besieged by youngsters wanting to take their phones into school and have faced new challenges, such as the traditional note being passed around class replaced with electronic text messaging.

Every school in Bolton has devised its own mobile phone policy, but headteachers admit that, in exactly the same way youngsters might try to bend rules on school uniform, they sometimes try to sneak phones into lessons if they are banned.

Tony Buckley, headteacher of George Tomlinson School in Kearsley, said: "When the pupils started buying mobile phones three years ago we took the stance that they're a fact of life. Instead of an outright ban, we took the sensible view that they can bring the phones into school -- but as soon as they're in a lesson the phones must be switched off.

"If the pupils abuse the system then the phones are taken off them and returned at a later date.

"I think almost every pupil has a phone and they can be useful for parents wanting to know where their children are."

John Baumber, head of Rivington and Blackrod High School, said: "Mobile phones are not allowed in school, although students in the sixth form can bring phones in providing they are turned off in class.

"If we find a pupil with a mobile phone then it is confiscated. But they still try and bring them in and I've no doubt that most of them own one. If there's an emergency, then pupils can use the school phone."

Pupils at St Joseph's High School in Horwich are also banned from taking their phones into school because of the disruption they can cause in class, the fear of them being stolen and concerns over text message bullying.

Headteacher Leo Conley said: "The pupils are happy with the rules and, if they bring phones in, they usually hand them in at the school office first thing in the morning and collect them before going home.

"A few years ago schools were discouraged from letting pupils bring in mobile phones because of health fears over radiation and those concerns have never been resolved.

"The phones can cost £60 and we don't want them being stolen."

Naomi Richardson, headteacher of Eatock Primary School in Westhoughton, said: "We don't need a policy on phones here because none of the children try to bring them in.

"But I know many of them have phones at home because they often talk about them, and it does appear that younger children are being given mobile phones."

Glenys Evans, headteacher of Claypool Primary School in Horwich, said: "We have had to say to a couple of children that they can't bring their phones in with them. As the children are so young at primary school, mobile phones are not normally a big issue.

"But we allow some of the older children who catch buses to and from school to carry their phones in case of an emergency, although they can't have them switched on in school time.

"I am concerned about how much time they spend out of school using the phones, but I can understand that they're a fun form of communication and the children love that."

Canon Slade School pupil Philip Meadows has owned a mobile phone for six months and spends an average of 30 minutes every night chatting or texting.

The 12-year-old from Bromley Cross aims to spend about a £1 a week on the "pay as you go" phone.

He said: "All my mates from school had mobile phones, so I wanted to get one.

"I use it for speaking to my friends and texting. We can't take phones into school, but I use it in the evening.

"My parents are glad I've got a phone for emergencies. I use it every night, but it doesn't interfere with my school work."