Mobile phone has become the preferred communication hub for the majority of American teens. They’re always texting. They’re instant-messaging. They’re texting while instant-messaging. Though calling is still a central function of the cell phone for teens and for many teens, cell-phone texting has become the preferred channel of basic communication between teens and their friends.
It is important for the teens to be tech-savvy to be successful. It feels like kids are spending an awful lot of time engaging others through a screen at exactly the same time as they’re supposed to be learning to form and maintain relationships. They are juggling their time between social networking, interactive gaming, web communities, insta-messaging, and everything — especially texting — that comes with cell phones.
Texting has, in many ways, made communication easier for teens by helping them avoid long and unnecessary phone conversations and making a quick “Hello” much easier. According to industry research, 61% of virtual-world visitors are between 3 and 11, and 22% of kids’ ages 6 to 9 already have their own cell phone. In a study in the journal Pediatrics, 58% of kids 10 to 15 listed a form of communication as the major reason to go online.
According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of teenagers text regularly, and one in three sends more than 100 texts per day. Clearly, texting is the preferred method of communication among young people. Using the phone for calling is a critically important function for teens, especially when it comes to connecting with their parents. But teens make and receive far fewer phone calls than text messages on their cell phones. Many service providers offer free text every month that also encourages teens to use texting as preferred way of communication.
Teens don’t like rules, especially the social ones. This is also the reason why texting has taken the teen world by storm. There are no rules when it comes to texting. You can text and text back irrespective of the time, location, or any other boundaries. You can text anytime, from anywhere, to anyone and expect an immediate response.
Cell phones are seen as a mixed blessing. Parents and teens say phones make their lives safer and more convenient. Texting is going to be in our life, whether we like it or not.
