Today more and more teens have cell phones. Teen texting between friends has now overtaken cell phone communications - and every very other common form of interaction. According to a recent study by PEW Research:
- Half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month. One in three send more than 100 texts a day (or more than 3,000 texts a month.)
- 15% of teen texters send more than 200 texts a day, or more than 6,000 texts a month.
- Boys send and receive 30 texts a day; girls typically send and receive 80 messages per day.
- Teen texters ages 12-13 typically send and receive 20 texts a day.
- 14-17 year-old texters typically send and receive 60 text messages a day.
- Older girls who text are the most active, with 14-17 year-old girls typically sending 100 or more messages a day or more than 3,000 texts a month.
- 22% of teen texters send and receive just one to 10 texts a day, or 30 to 300 texts a month.
Is this a time parents need to pick and choose issues of concern? Yes and no. There are many other more serious issues such as drug abuse or gang relations, however if your teen is obsessed or addicted to texting, it may be time to intervene. Give your teen limits, and be sure there is a time that the phones are simply turned off.
Having consequences in place and following through with them can help convey to your teen that you are serious. Teens need to learn how to "talk" to others outside of texting. Parents should be concerned that all the texting may alter their ability to communicate effectively.
When it is time to apply to colleges or interview for a job, will they have the verbal skills they need? At last glance, you can't text your way into employment or into a college.
In Florida, there is a bill in legislation that will ban texting and driving. Although many know the dangers of texting and driving, many still do it. Stress to your teens, no text is worth dying over. Encourage your teens to take the pledge and join thousands of others that are putting the cell phone aside as they drive.
Be an educated parent, you will have safer and healthier teens.
Watch video below on Teen Cell Phone Addiction.
Comments
I txt really fast and i txt over 1000 txt a day i cant stand to be without my fone and nomatter wat im doin i stop to txt my fone wen i get a message!!!:)
Makayla has a problem and it's called "hyper-texting." A recent study shows that kids who hyper text make bad life decisions and are at risk.
How funny! I just posed an article about this very thing on my blog about how we're losing our ability to just speak with each other because of how easy and anonymous texting has become.
Well.. Makayla just proves this articles piont
My friends' teenagers refuse to call their friends on the phone - they will instead text back and forth for an hour to figure out something that would be easy to fix in a 5-minute phone conversation. They are literally afraid to talk to their own friends.
On a side note... I used to teach a class of teenagers and all they wanted to do was text, text, text all through the lesson. If all these kids do is text 24 hrs a day, what are they texting ABOUT?
My friends' teenagers refuse to call their friends on the phone - they will instead text back and forth for an hour to figure out something that would be easy to fix in a 5-minute phone conversation. They are literally afraid to talk to their own friends.
On a side note... I used to teach a class of teenagers and all they wanted to do was text, text, text all through the lesson. If all these kids do is text 24 hrs a day, what are they texting ABOUT?
Good coverage Sue :) It's also sad how texting has demolished 'spelling' and the English language.
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I had better conversations with my teenage son on the computer and through texting than face to face. It's why I started Young Broadcasters of America. We use broadcast skills to teach kids to talk to each other. Check out our website at youngbroadcasters.com; Talk to me anytime.
im 12 and recive and send between 30 and 50 when my girlfriend isnt home and when she is i send and recive about 150 to 300 a day!!! If im not texting someone im going through my phone to find someone i can text!!!
glad someone is using their d*mn brain. its like ******* impossible to (for example) hang out with a friend at a park and be able to just HANG OUT or have a normal "TALKING" conversation, without the b*tch's eyes glued to the phone texting the whole ******* time . jesus christ it is not gonna ******* KILL you to leave your precious little phones home for a couple hours. people ******* wonder why society is cr*p! um HELLOOOOOOO! OPEN YOUR ******* EYES!
I applaud you for shining the spotlight on this Sue.
Text addiciton is a growing problem, and what young people often don't understand are the many other aspects of life they are missing out on- even things like not being present to that person or natural surrounding that is next to them.
Lots of more serious problems occur too. People should also know there is help available and there are resources available that are making a difference. TextingAddiction.net
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