News Flash - Teens Can Text with their Eyes Closed
Posted by: Lisa in Kids and Technology
Texting Lifestyle - Photo Credit: Flickr/Sintex
A new national survey on teens’ cell phone habits confirms what most parents already know, teens consider cell phones at the top of their hierarchy of needs. Maybe that’s why at my own house I completely caved to my middle school daughter’s pleas for a cell phone.
According to the Harris Interactive/CTIA study, a majority of teens consider their cell phone essential to their social life and an indicator of their social status, second only to clothing.
Teens are passionate about texting and 42% claim to be able to text blindfolded. I marvel how fast conversation snippets fly from my daughter’s fingers. Of course, she has a newer and much cooler cell phone than I do.
Teens and parents consider the cell phone a mobile safety net. Teens report having a cell phone for security on the go — to get a ride, to get important information and to help someone in trouble. Safety was definitely a factor in our decision to buy our daughter a phone. Perhaps this reflects a parent’s wish to keep our kids within reach in an increasingly dangerous world?
On the negative side, stories abound of teens texting while driving, surprising their parents with sky-high cell phone bills, using text-speak in homework assignments and loss of sleep due to their texting obsessions.
Does your child have a cell phone? Is it way cooler than your own phone? What limitations have you set? Is the cell phone a sense of stress in your relationship with your child? Is there a positive side to this technology?
Entries (RSS)
September 30th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
This is disturbing! I don’t even know how to send a text message on my phone…does that make me sound like my mom? I am getting old.
Enjoy your site, glad I found it!
October 19th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
The deal with my teenage boys is that they have pay-per-minute phones. I bought their phones and some minutes to get them started for several months. And I’ll usually get them a phone card for their birthday and/or Christmas, but any minutes beyond that they must buy themselves. This has really helped my kids to use their cell phone time wisely. They’re not talking and texting all the time because they know it’s costing them money! And we avoid the fights every month that many families experience when the family cell phone bill arrives and it’s high because the kids didn’t stick to their allotted minutes. This has worked out really well for us. They’ve also been told that if they text or talk while driving, the cell phone will be taken away. Teens have very high accident rates, and it’s often caused by being distracted. No call is important enough for them to take their eyes off the road!
October 21st, 2008 at 4:06 am
Susan,
Pay as you go sounds really smart for kids. My daughter doesn’t drive yet, thankfully. I’m curious as to how you enforce the no texting/talking while driving? Is the threat of no-cell phone enough? Do you police it? Would your boys tell on each other?
November 8th, 2008 at 2:25 am
Hey parents,
The idea of trying to stop your kids from texting or “overusing their phones” isn’t going to teach them anything, it will just make them incompetent communicators as the grow up. Most of us can text, and prefer it because we can communicate without both people being available, and in situations where it wouldn’t work to call someone (loud room, quiet room..).
Kids want to talk, just like you talk, and being able to text and call people makes it a lot easier. There’s no reason to stop them from using their phones except money, and you’ll find that most kids would rather have the $5 unlimited text plans than have any minutes at all (my entire family uses less than 100 minutes a month, and most of my friends are the same way).
-A College Student
November 8th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
can you type with your eyes closed? most likely yes, so what is the difference
November 8th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Pay as you go is a good more for adults who dont use there phones as often and quite young children but unlimeted is probably the way too go. While it does cost a lil extra the kids will be happy and you wont ever have to deal with them going over there rate limit and having to deal with exspensive phone bills
November 9th, 2008 at 3:12 am
I love how texting while driving results in no more cell phone as apposed to no more car privilege. I think not being able to use the car would have been a bigger deal when I was living at home. That was fewer then 5 years ago. I guess things change fast.
November 9th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Alright.
My parents refused to get me a cell phone until I was 17. I didn’t notice the ’social status’ change any. In fact, it was rather nice not having anyone bother me when I’m busy with my alone time. =)
I’m 20 now. The cell phone annoys the crap out of me and so do the people my age and older going ‘OMG I WANT THE SIDEKICK WITH THE KEYBOARD OR BLACKBERRY IPHONE CURVE!”
Give it a bloody break. It’s a phone. It rings all the time and after the excitement of knowing people want to hang out with you dissipates, I tend to ignore it.
I will admit.. I can text with my eyes closed.
In fact, my ex boyfriend said I type on a keyboard and text so fast that I should go into Court Reporting.
And thats what I’m doing.
Look at texting from the good side. =) THey might have a great career in front of them!
November 10th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Hey Lisa what’s bothering you? That your kids SMS faster then you?
Get Used to it.