Teenage Texting Phenomena

Here is a serious issue which was recently shared by a very concerned mother. Pam Zingeser says that her daughter Julie is obsessed with texting. Julie texts while at home, in the car while going to school, and at school. Pam is really getting worried as lately her daughter even brings her phone every time she goes to the bathroom! Pam had the greatest shock of her life when one time she received her phone bill and learned that her daughter had sent and received a whopping 6,473 text messages!

The experience of Pam Zingeser, though considered already on the extreme, is not a unique or rare problem. Parents from all walks of life and from all corners of the globe share the same problem. Researchers and educators are now struggling with the same concern as this SMS phenomenon has reached alarming proportions affecting the normal growth and development of our teen population. Our young generation is texting more than they are calling using their mobile phones. Although, we still have to see conclusive results from the recent researches confirming the ill effects of profligate texting, we must now take some serious consideration at how we can manage this teen phenomenon if only for its negative impact on our budget.

Yet, parents and other stakeholders must also remember that this serious teenage behavioral issue may have permanent and profound impact on family relationships, writing ability, peer interaction, and attention span. These serious behavioral issues linger and continue to be a serious concern to many sectors despite the avowed benefits of SMS to modern living.

There are actually certain sectors of society that profess to the positive impact of mobile communication technology. The dedicated connectivity that one gets through their mobile phones can benefit teenagers during the stage of their growth where strong co-presence can help them interact with each other. It is a strong social affirmation that can not be provided to them by any other device.

However, many behavioral experts agree that there is an urgent need to look at the end-of-the-road consequences of this modern day teenage communication phenomenon as it may have already started presenting its ill effects on the normal development and growth of our children.

In a recent national survey, it was determined that a total of 75 billion of text messages are sent every month. On the average, the teen segment of the population sent an average of 2,272 text messages monthly, while using their mobile phone 203 times for voice calls within the same period.

This teenage texting phenomenon has also spawned modern day perils and social ills that endanger not only the mental and social welfare of our children but their physical welfare as well. Parents must have to be more vigilant in guarding and protecting their children against text bullying and “sexting”; the emerging practice of people including teenagers in sending and sharing sexually explicit photos via their mobile phones.

Parents and other stakeholders must take a concerted stand to manage this serious addiction to texting by our children as hardcore texters have already invaded our homes.