Text Messaging
Text Messaging
As a father of a 10 year old, I know the time will come when my son will “need” a cell phone. What once was a convenience has now become a necessity. I’ll gladly pay his bill as long as he uses his phone wisely. If he goes over his minutes (which will be limited), he will have to pay the charges.
I bring this up because I have heard horror stories about kids abusing their cell phone privileges. In fact, many kids and adults as well, are addicted to phone messaging. The main culprit is text messaging. With texting you can send messages without talking, so you do not disturb anyone around you. People become addicted to this convenient way of communicating with their friends, and like all addictions, it ends up messing up their lives. Important responsibilities are traded for messaging. Bills go unpaid, appointments are missed, and one’s priorities become generally turned upside-down.
I recently heard of a teenager who racked up a $500.00 bill due to excessive texting. Besides the financial toll, texting can lead to tendonitis in the thumbs and fingers. Students use their phones to cheat on tests, and many lose sleep because they are up all night chatting with friends. Perhaps the scariest thing about texting is that it is causing the English language to deteriorate. Many teachers report that texting abbreviations and jargon are showing up in formal academic writing. I’m not against texting, but like most things, there has to be a limit. We can’t allow text messaging to be the downfall of civilization.
Labels: addiction, teen text messaging, text messaging
2 Comments:
I read with interest your post about text messaging. Just this past week I was attending a Family Aftercare program at a Southern California Hospital. This program is offered free of charge by the hospital for those who have completed the 30 day inpatient drug and alcohol treatment program and their families. While the group rules tell us to turn off our cell phones, I was alarmed when I realized that one member of our group was text messaging to her friends throughout the whole meeting. She casually crossed her legs and set the phone out of view and then proceeded to keep glancing at the phone and typing messages. When it was her turn to share she wanted all of us to listen and participate intently; however, she did not reciprocate. This is just one small example of how text messaging takes on more importance than one's health and recovery. Thanks for listening.
Common courtesy still rules. Contrary to popular belief, composing an SMS while you're in a face-to-face conversation with someone is just about as rude as taking a voice call.
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