Daily text messaging by teens to friends has increased rapidly since early 2008. Some 38% of teens were daily texters in February 2008, and that has risen to 54% of teens who use text daily in September 2009. Of the 75% of teens who own cell phones, 87% use text messaging at least occasionally.
Among those teen texters:
- Half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month, and one in three send more than 100 texts a day, or more than 3,000 texts a month.
- 15% of teens who are texters send more than 200 texts a day, or more than 6,000 texts a month.
- Boys typically send and receive 30 texts a day; girls typically send and receive 80 messages per day.
- Teen texters ages 12-13 typically send and receive 20 texts a day.
- 14-17 year-old texters typically send and receive 60 text messages a day.
- Older girls who text are the most active, with 14-17 year-old girls typically sending 100 or more messages a day or more than 3,000 texts a month.
- However, while many teens are avid texters, a substantial minority are not. One-fifth of teen texters (22%) send and receive just one to 10 texts a day or 30 to 300 texts a month.
As we see with other communicative technologies and applications, girls are more likely than boys to use both text messaging and voice calling and are likely to do each more frequently.
- Girls typically send and receive 80 texts a day; boys send and receive 30.
- 86% of girls text message friends several times a day; 64% of boys do the same.
- 59% of girls call friends on their cell phone every day; 42% of boys call friends daily on their cell phone daily.
- 59% of girls text several times a day to "just say hello and chat"; 42% of boys do so.
- 84% of girls have long text exchanges on personal matters; 67% of boys have similar exchanges.
- 76% of girls text about school work, while 64% of boys text about school.
Duval, Clay and St. Johns County, as well as the entire First Coast of Florida is part of The Great Hang-Up. Distracted driving kills. There is no text worth losing your life over. During this holiday season and all year round, talk to your young teen drivers about the dangers of texting and driving.
Florida teens have put together a group of PSA (Public Service Announcements) to spread the word about the dangers of texting and driving. Watch and vote today. Click here. Definitely worth watching and encourage your teens to watch too.
Be an educated parent, you will have safer teens.
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