Blog # 54: Teens and Texting

I think the age that teenagers are now receiving cell phones is ridiculous. Why does a 12 year old need a cell phone? They can’t drive and they are not even close to being in high school. In my personal opinion, I think teenagers deserve the right of having a cell phone when they have a car and are in high school. I did not get a cell phone until I was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. I was one of the last kids in my class to finally get one.
The reason why I think kids need to have cell phones if for security and safety. If something were to happen that they needed direct assistance- such as, they ran out of gas, or they got in a car accident. But the reason why teens are using cell phones today is absolutely ridiculous. Some teens are reported to send over a few thousand texts a day. Which means, they are obviously not paying attention in school and are on the verge of getting carpal tunnel.
I do not think that Schools should be allowed to “ban” cell phones from school. To see a student texting in class is one thing, but in the halls and at lunch is fair game. I remember one time when I was in high school that my teacher walked by my desk and head my cell phone vibrate. She immediately asked for me to give it to her. Being the stubborn person that I am, I felt like I had the right to refuse to let her confiscate it because I was not disrupting class and I was not on my cell phone. If a school bombing occurred, or a fire occurred, then students could easily whip out their cell phones and call the authorities much faster than a teacher calling down to the office to report the incident because in most cases, it might be too late.
In addition, texting completely ruins the meaning of “being social.” I personally rather text than talk on the phone because it is easier because talking via text messages, you can delay your responses rather than having to immediately respond when you are on the phone. Teens that over-text are losing the ability to become social by talking face to face. At this age is when teens learn how to be social, so is texting replacing this whole meaning? Talking on the phone is much more personal, real, and sophisticated. When calling in for work, people are more likely to call their boss, rather than text them because it is more believable to call them on the phone that they are sick than text them.