March 2, 2007 Text Messaging and It Affect on Teens Attention Getter: London's Daily Telegraph recently reported an essay

written by a 13-year-old in text messaging shorthand was indecipherable by her teacher. It began: "My smmr hols wr CWOT, B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kids FTR ILNY, its a gr8 pic." Translation: "My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's a great place." The confiised teacher told the newspaper the student's paper was "riddled with hieroglyphics." (Communications of the ACM) Purpose Statement: I plan to show how teens are affected by text messaging. There are many ways that teens are affected by teens but it is my intention to show three of these ways. Ive spent a lot of time researching this and have also been known to send a text message or two. Body: I. Most teens dont just concentrate on text messaging; they are often doing something else at the same time; developing their multitasking skills. A. A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that when students sit in front of their computers and "study," they are also doing something else 65 percent of the time. B. Researchers state that there isn't any answer yet to whether multitasking helps, hurts or has no effect on development of teens. C. Poldrack said imaging showed that different parts of the brain were active depending on whether the subjects did single or multiple tasks. Text messaging changes the way teens communicate. A. Studies show text messaging is changing the way young people communicate, for better and worse. B. Text messaging has been praised for helping teens to connect to each other and to their parents, it has also been criticized for its potential in making it easier for teens to cheat on exams or to bully each other with the help of technology. C. 45% of teens own a cell phone, and 33% have used a cell phone to send a text message. (Teens and Technology) D. I feel more comfortable texting friends, because face-to-face you run out of things to talk about," the 17-year-old high school senior from San Mateo said. "When you're texting, the conversation doesn't have any awkwardness. And when you run out of things to say, it's over." (Why tlk whn u cn txt?) Text messaging changes the way relationships work.

II.

III.

A. Before text messaging became so popular and available, guys had two choices to asking a girl out, he could go up to her at school and talk to her, or he could call her and risk her not remembering who he is or one of her parents answering. Now all he has to do is send her a text message and there is little to no risk involved. B. Text messaging provides a way to avoid the shyness and awkwardness that is usually associated with face to face conversations. C. Sending text messages instead of calling is the preference of most teens, who
accounted for more than half of the 5.1 billion text messages sent in Australia in 2003-04.

D. There's evidence that texting may be dragging down the average age at which teenagers first have sex. Conducted by various universities and published in 2003, the Australian Study of Health and Relationships found that age to be 16 for both boys and girlsdown from 18 and 19 respectively for their parents' generation. In the Oslo study, of teens aged 13-18, less than 10% who did not have cell phones reported having had intercourse; among the most active texters the figure was more than 66%. Although "sexual behaviors are shaped by a host of influences," study leader Willy Pedersen concluded, "We can attribute the early sexual encounters directly to the use of cell phones." (When fingers do the flirting) Conclusion: Teens today are affected by many things including text messaging. Text messaging has both positive and negative affects. It affects the way they communicate, the way their relationships work, and builds multitasking skills.

Bibliography 1. 2. Teens and Technology; July 27, 2005; Pg 3; http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Teens_Tech_July2005web.pdf Text Messaging Changing Way Teens Communicate; Maryland Newsline; May 17, 2006; http://www.newsline.umd.edu/business/specialreports/teentechnology/textmessagi ng051706.htm Communications of the ACM; May2003, Vol. 46 Issue 5, p9-10, 2p When Fingers Do the Flirting; May. 29, 2006; Daniel Williams; http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,503060605-1198940,00.html Teens Can Multitask, But What Are Costs?; Washington Post; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/02/25/AR2007022501600_2.html Why tlk whn u cn txt? / Many raised in era of e-mail and texting shun conversation. They call electronic voice 'authentic.'; September 22, 2006; San Francisco Chronicle; http://infosvcs.lcu.edu:2093/ehost/detail? vid=1&hid=118&sid=d253bc67-eceb-4a5a-9dd29b9cad88d951%40sessionmgr107 Teens Tap Into Text Messaging Craze; eMaxHealth; http://www.emaxhealth.com/22/5894.html

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