Texting Affecting Your Teen's Health?

My daugthers attitude was sooo bad until I took that phone away from her! And yes her grades went down, she was staying up until all hours of the night!It was the best thing I did! She only gets her phone when we leave or she’s not going to be home! These KIDS don’t need these phones and all the freedom that they have been given!!!

My 12 and 14 year old both have phones. They are not allowed to text or talk after 9pm on school nights. I can instantly check this online. The consequence is 1 week without the phone. Yes, we have taken the phone away for poor grades/effort in school and attitude issues. That line of communication to their friends is a powerful “bargaining chip” in getting their attention. I pay for it, so I use it!!

The worst part is that teens who text constantly are not really living in the real world! They are shutting out thier families which psychologically is very unhealthy.

I think Annie’s point about the teen texting world not being reality is well taken. One of the really un-fun jobs of parenting is providing a reality check. And it is one of the more important jobs. (How many times to you hear in YOUR head your mother or father’s voice about not wasting time, driving safely, not wearing old underwear, ha.)

In that it’s not going away, I add an adult voice to the stream of messages streaming across the tiny screen. It’s easy with WuduPlz.com, a free web site.

The reality check I sent yesterday: “WuduPlz know I am proud of you.”

Just a quick personal observation on this, and really for that matter, all the issues and comments I have read on this website by the parents, etc. The one common theme, for me, that keeps popping up…”Our parents and their parents before them got it right.” If we need a good example of how to handle an issue with our kids, look no further than the ones who raised us. So, that being said, texting, just like anything else in our kids lives that they may do to excess, if it’s causing a problem, act now.

My daughter had a phone in 8th grade. Picture mail and texting were the worst. Kids, people, will say with their fingertips things they would not let pass their lips. And the pictures are instant and permanent. Yes, I took her phone. For several months she was relegated to the home land line, like the “old days.” And? It was fine. She talked and talked like a teenager does, but no pictures received or sent that I had to worry about and no slimey texts. So, before I let her have it back in mid-9th grade, I TURNED OFF texting and picture mail. She had proven that a land line ‘filled her need’ to connect with friends so she is now a 15-year-old with the priveledge of being able to TALK to her friends from anywhere via her cell phone. But she had also proven that text messaging and picture mail and internet access via her cell were not priveleges she could regulate on her own. Therefore, she does not have those priveleges accessible to her. And she’s fine. Parents: TURN OFF the texting and picture mail.

Our carrier provides parental controls. It’s an extra $5.00 a month, but it’s worth it. We can access our account online and set all kinds of parameters. We have our 14-year-old son’s phone set so that he can’t receive or send calls or text during school hours or after after 8:00 p.m. on school nights. We are able to add phone numbers, which are exceptions, like our own so he can still reach us and vice versa. It is a big improvement.

This is important for adults to read as well. I’m guilty of too much time spent on email. Personally, I don’t text and my daughter is not allowed to text. I sometimes check in with her as to whether I am crushing her social life but she indicated that it’s okay. As an outsider to the process, we both think it’s a bit stupid.

I think texting is stressful on teens. I have a 15 year old daughter. I paid about $5.00 for a feature, that i can go online and she who and when she texts and gets text messages and phone calls and how long the phone calls are for and also what time it was.
I learned she was getting texts at all hours of the night, so i was able to set it that she is unable to text after a certain time at night, when she goes to bed. I also set it for the weekend too. Even though she doesnt have school on the weekends, she still needs her sleep. I can set it so she doesnt talk in school.
I have many times had her phone shut off, when she doesnt do her homework and I see that she is getting zeros on assignments.
I have noticed during the times her phone is shut off, she is telling me “I dont know why, Im just in such a good mood. I feel less stressed out today.” I know why….she is not bombarded with all her teenage friends problems, like she is when her phone is on.
I would recommend taking away a cell phone if you child is stressed and not doing well in school. They are probally preoccupied with all their friends “teen drama.” They would also unknowingly be relieved with this “break.”

What has happened to I am the parent not your friend?!Some of these parents are too concerned if they are ruining their kids life if they put rules on them! They aren’t going to hate you if be the parent! How said parenting was going to be a friendship with your child?! I agree with the other moma on here that we need to take the texting and pix of their phones! They can’t be trusted-their kids!!

Some teens are more trustworthy than some adults. Please don’t paint everyone with a broad brush. Teens are just as deserving of the benefit of the doubt as adults are.

If they abuse their freedom with the phone, by all means, limit it. But don’t preemptively strike them down just because.

14 year old son’s life improved after we initiated a few cell phone rules. Best rule of all: phone gets turned off at 9pm and charges all night in mom & dad’s room. Just telling him to turn it off didn’t work. He would silent the keypad and be texting all night!
Texting helps us keep in touch with where he’s at and who he’s with all day without calling him to hear one word answers anyway.

What plan did you all get for $5 more? att?

I had a very similar experiance, my daughter is going to turn 14 in a month and the last marking period of the school year was dismal for her. I being a naive parent kept on preaching to her about her grades and threaten her saying I Will sever all ties to the outside world if the grades don’t improve.
Natural kids think mom and dad are just venting, give a day or 2 and I will get what I want. Not the case this time I took her phone 4 two weeks and computer to.And let me tell you she went to school asked for extra credit work and turned her grades around just like that. her attitude changed also.
Take away the phone!!!!!!!

I am a teen as well, 16 years old and the truth is, texting actually helps me. When I don’t understand a problem on my homework (I never ask for the answer I ask for help) they send me instructions on how to do it. When its a new concept and I don’t know how to do it. Plus, It takes away my stress because I stay away from all the drama around the place. I text at night quickly to say goodnight.. and when i do say goodnight to my friends it makes me feel happy to get a reply having them say good night as well. It helps me sleep better. plus when i am feeling sad or worried I know I can talk to them. or if its a need for motivation to do my homework they help me. I am really good at when to stop texting and when to start texting. Texting helps you be less lonely too. Plus you can contact people easier and have them get back to you when they can. Its different then on the phone. Yeah sometimes I stayed up once or twice. but if they were really going to bother me that late at night I just turn off my phone and sleep. The only times I text at night is the weekends, and only on Saturdays.
Texting also helped my test scores. I took the WASL. I started to text a lot this year and it helped my reading and comprehension strong. Plus my writing. I used to have EXTREMELY LOW scores on my reading. This year, I exceeded the state standard. Plus, when I text I don’t shorten words. :] I use the whole word just the way its supposed to be.
When I read every comment on here, all the parents said “take away texting” in a way that it seemed like all kids are bad with texting. Yes some people do get stressed: but at the same time it releases stress too. It just depends on what you are talking about.
Texting isn’t evil, not at all. Please reconsider that.
Plus, taking away things or controlling teens naturally makes them rebel. Let them be free. Let them be themselves. Let them express who they really are. Cause if texting is a type of communication… why get rid of only texting? Communication in ALL forms is extremely important. Do not expect a new thing to be so horrible based on research. Yes you have facts, but at the same time its not necessarily true. Just not to much and you’ll be fine :]

We went through an episode with our teenage daughter whose texting habits got out of control. Her grades dropped, her attention span was that of a gnat’s and she was quite moody from being tired after texting through most of the night. We realized that the unlimited texting plan we got her (to save ourselves money) was part of the problem.
To make a long story short, we put her on a NET10 prepaid plan with limited minutes. That way we could stay in touch without the texting becoming a problem. She can buy more minutes if she runs out but then it comes out of her allowance.

I’m a 14 year old girl and my parents have restricted me from texting after 10, but during school days it’s 9. I’m on summer vacation and I really don’t understand why my mom insists upon me having a texting curfew during summer. On the days we have things planned I go to sleep earlier so I’ll get up and other than that I have nothing else to do so what’s the harm in texting after 10? I get great grades, I have a 4.0 GPA and texting has never gotten in the way of that.

I am taking care of my 14 year old step granddaughter who has been grounded from texting due to some boy sending her lewd photos.
While she is with her grandpa and I we have banned texting and the computer unless I am over her shoulder. She is attending an Athletic Day Camp where she is responsible for being a Junior Counselor. Her attitude has been wonderful and her stress seems reduced. She is so tired from the “old fashion” camp that she is in bed by 9pm!
My take on texting is that it teaches young people terrible communication and social skills.
It’s a good idea, in my opinion to either limit the text to two hours after school and monitor it. Better yet, TAKE the TEXTING option off the phone and get a land line for the teens to talk and have conversations with their friends.

There is nothing more annoying to me than to see a group of teens, usually, but not always, girls, standing in a group, and every single one of them is tapping away at a phone, not even speaking to one another. In my opinion, teens should only have cell phones for emergencies, and if they really want all of the bells and whistles, they need to pay for it themselves. I know of teenagers who go to bed with their phones, wake up with their phones, eat at the dinner table with their phone, go to school with their phone on vibrate, I even know teens who will text their friend who is sitting right next to them! It drives me absolutely bonkers!

My neice just spent a weekend with my family. She is 16 and my daughter is 15 (they are 9 months apart). I bought my daughter a cell phone but before giving it to her, I called our provider and had all texting/internet capabilities turned off. Now, no one calls her because she can’t text. It’s ridiculous. She has even said kids are becoming socially retarded because they can’t TALK anymore. They only TEXT. My neice, however, has unlimited access to texting/internet, etc. on her phone and she is on it all the time at all hours of the night. She texts during school, texts while we try to sit and watch movies, texts while we are eating dinner. This weekend, she texted a boy she hardly knew, then she and my daughter walked to his house AT MIDNIGHT for a 5 minute visit… without telling us where they were going.
I told her the next time she comes to spend time with us, the phone will be OFF and in MY possession until she goes home. I think all of this texting is utterly ridiculus and is making our kids too tired/too lazy to get up for school or even care about school. All they seem to care about is the next totally mispelled message on the phone. My daughter can be the freak without texting… at least she can actually TALK to people.

I think texting is the best thing in the world cuz i do get plenty of sleep at night all u gotta do is trun ur dam phone off and people wont bother you at all… And its sure better then talking because when your talking your phone gets hot and it kills brain cell so i think its good to text instead of talk…

i think texting is fake socialization. its easily written than said so i took my daughters texting privilege away…

I think texting is an awesome way to communicate. I’m 31 and I text with my mother and my friends. I detest talking on the phone, but just love texting.

I do agree that it can be taken to extremes. If a person answers every text at all hours of the night, they might need a reality check.