Dubai: Emirati teens are among the most pampered with average pocket money of $130 (Dh477) a week, one of the highest in the world, according to a recent report conducted by AMRB, a market research services producer and TRU, a research company specialising in youth research.

The survey was conducted among local Arab male and female teens ages 12 to 19 years across all socio-economic classes.

In the Mena region, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 2,000 teens in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The survey results showed that Emirati teens spend $71 on clothing and apparel per month, compared with $21 spent by other teens in the rest of the world, and $26 on cosmetics compared with $6 spent by teens globally.

Financially better off

Ram Dhara, Research Director at AMRB told Gulf News that the main reason why Emirati teens spend on average more than double their counterparts elsewhere in the world is because they're financially better off.

However, Dhara said when it comes to consumerism the behaviour is very similar.

"The practice is pretty much the same," he said. "For instance, clothing is the first item on the spending list."

Teens in the Middle East emerge as tech savvy, fashion conscious and as comfortable with their Islamic identity as they are with Western brands, the report said.

Most teens in the region own mobile phones. Even in Egypt, where teens' spending is lower than in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, seven out of 10 teens own a mobile phone.

"They have a high regard for culture and at the same time they have embraced western influences," Dhara said.

Among other things Mena teens own are desktops, laptops, digital cameras and home video games. Pepsi, Adidas and Nokia are among their favourite brands.

Emirati and Saudi teens are into social networking, spending seven to eights hours a week using chat services and social networks.

Their top four online websites are Facebook, Google, Yahoo and YouTube.

Gain for marketers

When asked who bene-fits the most from the consuming habits of the Mena teens, Dhara said it's most definitely the marketers. He said that marketers need to "strike a balance between traditionalism and westernisation through their brands."

At a time when close to 70 per cent of the Mena population is under the age of 30, Dhara said that the key for marketers is to make sure their brands are locally present and acceptable as well as globally well accomplished and valued.