Text messaging, commonly used by teens, to communicate is a well known technological advance. Everyday millions of American teens send texts to friends and family. Since the first text message on December 1992 texting has became a worldwide phenomenon among teens. Only is texting great when it has cause issues for teens? Teens have been cyber bullied, distracted and severely hurt or even worst killed, because of one thing, text messages.
Home, once a safe place where teens can relax and forget about troubles at school is now not safe anymore. With new technology teens are being cyber bullied via the Internet, cell phones and other devices. 16% of teens say they have been bullied via text. The worst thing about being bullied via text is that the sender of the harassing messages can keep their identity anonymous from the receiver. In some cases teens that have been bullied through text have committed suicide. Texting is now a gate way to be bullied for teens.
Around the middle school age, teens get their first phone. Many teens have their phones in their pockets, and they’re commonly turned on while in classes. Teens use their phones in class to text answers on tests or just to talk to their best friend across the room. Teachers cannot always tell if students are texting, but 80% of teens say they have been caught texting in class. To reduce the distraction of the texting in classes, schools have made rules that cell phones must be off and in the students’ lockers. There is one more distraction in the class that takes always from teens learning.
1,600 people from 2001 to 2007 have died in the United States from texting while driving accidents. Since the rapid growing numbers of deaths and accidents, 30 states have ban texting while driving. Phone companies now have advertisements with slogans about not texting while driving. Teens are mostly stressed not to text while driving because they are new drivers. Before sending that text while driving think, is taking your eyes off the road worth the few seconds?
Texting has no good effect on teens. It has caused many problems and continues to create more problems. Texting teens should consider other ways to communicate with others to avoid issues with texting.