2012 has seen the rise of smartphones amongst users, most of whom were teenagers. According to a report by Nielsen, figures bound up by a whole 22% for smartphone usage for this age group with 58% of teenagers in the US found to own smartphones in 2012 compared to a 36% in the previous year. While these devices allow a plethora of online activities, from games and apps to convenient browsing and what not, the most common task for which smartphones are used by teenagers is undoubtedly texting. According to Wilson Electronics Inc.’s research, around 63% of teens text every day, sending more than a hundred texts in a single day. With texting services allow these young individuals to communicate round the clock at a minimal cost, they also make them vulnerable to certain risks which are discussed in this article.
Sexting
Parents can only have a say in terms of their young teen’s dating habits and provide guidance to their children as far as sex is concerned when they are aware of what their kid is up to. While teens need their own privacy and space, text messaging provides a little too much of it for their own good. Parents have no way of finding out what goes on behind the closed doors of their kids’ cellphones which are now becoming a tool for holding conversations that can send the most liberal of parents hitting the roof. If you think your teen cannot talk dirty, you should think again for one in every four teenagers admits to sexting. You would also be shocked to know that around 28% of teenagers indulge in texting fully, yes “fully”, nude pictures of themselves.
Texting While Driving
While your teen might not be driving drunk, the fact that he is always high on texting – even while driving – hardly tips the scales in his favor. Wilson Electronics Inc.’s statistics report that one out of every two teenagers between the sixteen to seventeen years age bracket admits to the habit of texting while driving while the American Automobile Association reports that around half of teenage drivers admit to the practice in question. The fact that car crashes occurring due to this problem are likely to be over 20% more damaging than the ones that occur when the driver is not distracted makes it a serious matter of concern for parents who want nothing more than the well being of their young kids.
Texting Induced Sleeping Problems
CTV News reports that teenagers are increasingly suffering at the hands of texting services as they indulge in communicating through texts round the clock. According to experts, teens have been observed to send around thirty to over a hundred text messages per person each night on average. Excessive texting habits have resulted in daytime sleepiness for most teens, therefore keeping them from performing at their best during the day sue to a lack of sleep.
The Solution
Therefore, it becomes necessary for parents to keep a tab on the texting habits of their teenage kids from the get go in order to keep complications from emerging later on once the damage had been done. The availability of text spy apps have fortunately made the task easy as they allow worried parents to protect their young kids through text message monitoring.
Jessica’s work revolves around tracking apps and software. Her most recent stint in cell phone tracking has focused on text message monitoring. Jessica’s readers follow this work to get the latest scoop on all things tracking. She blogs for MobiStealth and can be contacted @Jcarol429.
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