A couple weeks ago at an American Public Health Association convention, Scott Frank presented his findings on studied high school students and their cell phone usage and their behaviours. His results found a relationship between hyper-texting and high-risk behaviours, such as drinking and drugs.
Hyper-texting was defined as more than 120 messages per school day. Those who were hyper-texters were 40 percent more likely to have tried cigarettes, twice as likely to have tried alcohol, 43 percent more likely to be binge drinkers, 41 percent more likely to have used illegal drugs, 55 percent more likely to have been in a physical fight, over 3 times more likely to have had sex and were 90 percent more likely to have had four or more sexual partners.
Similar staggering numbers were also found with hyper-networkers, spending more than three hours on social networking websites on a school day.
As you can imagine, many media outlets grabbed this and ran with it. They claimed that texting and social networking has caused these behaviours in teenagers. This is completely false. This study did not find causation, it found a correlation. A correlation means that there was a positive or negative relationship between numbers. In this case, as texting use increases so did certain risky behaviours. As texting use went down, so did the likelihood of committing these risky behaviours.
So what does this mean? If it is not causation, what is it? If texting doesn't cause smoking, or if smoking doesn't cause texting, what can explain the relationship? Usually an outside source is the culprit.
In this case it seems like lack of parental supervision. A fair portion of the hyper-texters and hyper-networkers were from single-parent homes and were low on the socioeconomic status scale. Many single parents have to pick up a second job to help pay the bills of raising a child, so there is less time spent with children.
Also, dual-parent homes are not guiltless from providing a lack of parental supervision. We all could spend more time with our kids. As such, here are some ideas of how put in place guidelines for texting and social media (that will hopefully also curb those other risky behaviors).
First, no texting during mealtime. When everyone is home for supper, turn off all electronic gadgets so that you can engage in human conversation.
Second, let the internet sleep at night. Parents, grab that modem before going to bed. This way no one is alone on the computer late at night. Getting a cell phone from a teenager at night may be difficult, be careful in the battles you choose.
Third, monitor their social-networking sites. For example with Facebook, become their friend. But don't interact with their page, that can be detrimental to a teenager. Just keep tabs on what they are posting, if you have questions ask them offline, not online.
Fourth. I have before stated that TV, video gaming, and computer time should be restricted to two hours a day. Maybe now a cell phone should be included in that two-hour usage.
These are just a couple ideas to get you started of establishing boundaries. Youth do like boundaries, as much as they say they hate it, they just need to be at the appropriate location.
