Teens & Technology
The Text Generation
The good, the bad, and the dangerous
By: Bianca Mashal, Senior, Friends Academy, Manhasset, NY
TeenNewsNet Feature Columnist
Almost every day my parents or my boyfriend will ask me, Who are you texting?
My dad likes to point out that my blackberry is never in my pocket or in my bag, but rather in my hand. I never used to be like that. When I first got my previous phone, the original Motorola Razr, I rarely texted. But once I did, it was hard to stop, despite working with the difficult number keys on the Razr. With my new phone, the Blackberry Curve, came a new texting plan. I made the switch not solely for the immediate email access-- but for the QWERTY keyboard now popular on many phones today that makes it simpler to text. Additionally, now that it was much easier for me to join the “texting revolution” I even changed the settings on my phone so that it vibrated for a new text or Blackberry Messenger (commonly known as BBM ) and merely flashes the LED light for emails.
This “texting revolution” has taken the world by storm, with the younger generation having the upper hand. Today, you will see those just entering their teen years with Blackberrys and other fancy phones. Surely being able to receive emails wasn't the driving factor in their desire for the phone. Rather, they like knowing they have 24/7 connection with their BBM contacts. But how exactly do parents feel about their kids' constant texting? And how aware are they of who their child is messaging with?Alexa Bakhash, 15, of Great Neck, NY, also has a Blackberry, but its purpose is not for email. I had the Chocolate before, but this keyboard is so much better, she said.
A constant texter, Alexa even admits to texting during school. But she too experiences nagging from her parents. They constantly ask who I'm talking to. It's like I can't text without them asking.”
Her father, however said he's not all that concerned with Alexa's texting habits. I care about who she texts but I think she is smart enough, says Morris Bakhash. If she's doing something wrong, I think texting is the least of my problems. Bakhash says he and his daughter BBM all the time, even while she is in math class.
It's the same case with Emily Jedda, 16, of Westchester, NY, and her parents. My parents know my friends so they know that's who I text. But they don't ask, she said.
When asked if they ever text their parents, Emily and Alexa gave the exact same response. I text my parents all the time, Emily said. So they can know when to come get me from school.
While there are many teens like Alexa and Emily who have mastered the art of texting in school without getting caught, other schools have enforced strict policies regarding cell phones. Friends Academy, a private school on Long Island has a specific section in its handbook devoted to cell phone usage:
It reads, During the academic day, from 8:05 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., the school expects students to be focused on the challenges of their classes and activities. We therefore do not allow personal use (as opposed to school-related use) of communication devices (like cell phones, beepers, and two-way radios) during the academic day.
It reads, During the academic day, from 8:05 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., the school expects students to be focused on the challenges of their classes and activities. We therefore do not allow personal use (as opposed to school-related use) of communication devices (like cell phones, beepers, and two-way radios) during the academic day.
With strict enforcement of this rule, many students at Friends Academy try to restrain from texting. Others refrain from texting in class, but openly do so while in the library.
Why exactly do teens text? Emily answered that. I text because it's fun. It's how I stay in touch with people, she said. I love BBM, and I hate the email thing.
Even college students like Andrew Mashaal, 19, also from Great Neck, use texting as their primary source of communication. I text more often than I call because I can multitask while texting, Andrew remarks. It's also easier when it comes to reaching people, like telling people about a party. Especially in college, being able to talk to more than one person is much easier.
But none of these three teens were able to show the negative side of texting, and the actual dangers that come from it. In June 2007, ABC News delved into the issue of high cell phone bills due to texting. Parents across the country were shocked as they opened their teenager’s cell phone bill to see unbelievably high charges. Some as high as over $400 for the month. The cause? Too many texts.
Recently recognized as Social Worker of the Year by Boston University and with a practice in Smithtown, NY, Margie Sugarman feels it is hard to take something away from teenagers that society has embraced. Although Sugarman makes it clear she is not advocating that parents give teens the privilege to text, she feels that if they try and prevent it their children will to it anyway. “You can’t take something away from them [teenagers] that has become socially acceptable. “ stresses Sugarman. She even uses the example of parents not adding unlimited texting features to their child’s phone and then finding their child did it anyway when they get stuck having to individually pay for hundreds of texts sent and received.
While Emily and Alexa's parents weren't too worried about their daughters' texting habits, other teens resort to their texting language, full of abbreviations that replace words, a vernacular most parents do not understand.
An even more serious matter is the mixing of texting and driving. Last month the Associated Press released an article on the possibility of Georgia passing a law against texting and driving. Seventeen states have already taken action against this issue, with the support of the American Medical Association.
Despite even the potential danger that texting may cause, it's highly unlikely that this texting revolution will end for a while. Sooner or later, it won't be just kids texting. Parents too are learning the finger movements on their phones and joining the younger generations in this new phenomenon. But then, what will come of the original phone call?
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