The number of British children with mobile phones has fallen for the first time but only because more and more are turning to tablet computers, a report says.

The number of children ages 5 to 15 who own a mobile now stands at 43 percent, down from 49 percent in 2012, British communications regulator Ofcom reported.

Instead of mobiles phones, tablet computers have become the new "must have device" for children of all ages, Ofcom said.

Ofcom said its survey found 26 percent of children between the ages of 12 and 15 now own a tablet, a rise from just 7 percent in 2012, the BBC reported Thursday.

And tablet users are getting younger all the time, Ofcom said; 28 percent of toddlers between the ages of 3 and 4 now use a tablet computer at home.