[Magic_Mikki]

Yikes! Here's the link:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01112009...iac_149614.htm

What would you do as her parent?

[Magic_Mikki]

When I read the very beginning of the article, I was like, Yeah Right! Not even possible! The girl would have to be constantly texting! Yup, that's exactly how she did it, too! An average of one text every two minutes spent awake.

I read an article not too long ago describing the effects that texting is having/will have on our society. The article showcased many studies that were done that proved that texting is deteriorating people's social skills and ability to interact with each other. I'm sure this girl is going to suffer in the future! I can't believe her father isn't more upset! Just "No texting after dinner?" That's it? How about no texting during school, too? I'm sure it is getting in the way of her learning. Wow.

[mcmama]

Manners. We have to learn manners.

Do you know here in FL they have a law about driving while talking on a cell phone, but they had to pass ANOTHER law about TEXTING while driving?????? Seems the first one was not specific enough......

[wanttobemommy]

I thought I was bad I had about 4500 one month. WOW I would be taking the phone away. They said the bill would have been over $2,000 had they not had unlimited on there. WOW... Jaxon will not have a cell phone until he is working.

[Samual]

I always have thousands of texts and hundreds of minutes used on my phone each month as I only see my family three times a year, so its the best way to keep in touch.

[MissyChrissy]

I have texting blocked on my kid's cell phones. They won't have phone-phobia...they'll know how to dial and talk directly to a person. I feel it will give them an advantage.

[VinniesMommy]

That's insane... I used to text a lot, but I don't even have it on my phone now... It was really only good for "hey honey can you pick up milk/diapers/etc on your way home!" and even then I rarely used it. Teenage girls are nuts when it comes to cell phones though, and parents don't seem to care. Such a shame. My kids are not going to get phones until they drive, and that is just for safety ((if they break down or such they can call)) but it will be a prepaid one.

[ShannonGB]

Wow that must've been dangerous. I nearly got hit by a car once just because I was looking at my phone so much (because of texts). Constantly bumping into people too on the street. Texting at that rate hasn't got to be healthy. I hope she didn't move much

[berber294]

Wow... I feel a lot of your rulings are quite unfair. I am a 15 year old girl with a cell phone and an unlimited text plan. I do not obsessively text. In fact, I only send a couple hundred texts a month. I am also not afraid to call people. A lot of you here are also generalizing people. “Teenage girls are nuts when it comes to cell phones though, and parents don't seem to care. Such a shame.” That is bitter and hurtful. One parent is irresponsible, and doesn’t ‘care’ about his daughter, and suddenly parents who let their children have cell phones and text are horrible?

In my opinion, your problem is not the cell phone, it’s the parents. Is it so hard to keep your children in check?

Being a teenager, I am always doing things, going to people's houses, going to school events. Even while I am doing these things I am also constantly forgetting what I'm doing when, and so are my parents! More often than not my parents have forgotten when they need to pick me up, or where I am. Before I got a cell phone there were multiple instances where I was forced to walk home in the dark because my parents forgot to pick me up. Getting a hold of anyone from school is also complete hell. In my school, if you go to the office to call home for some reason or another, you are charged money. If you go to a teacher’s classroom, it’s normally loud and you can’t hear what the other person is saying and vise-versa. There is also little to no service. The best and only way to get a hold of anyone is through a text.

On a similar note, cell phones are a great way to know what your children are doing and when. You don't need to pace back and forth biting your nails wondering if your kid 'took some candy from a stranger' or something when they’re late coming home from school. You can just call them, or text them, with a simple, 'what are you doing?' or, 'why aren't you home yet?'

What about if your kid is doing drugs? Drinking? Doing other illegal things? You were all kids once. Think about it.

I know too many people who many illegal things and their parents care deeply about them and do all they can to prevent it. The worst part, the parents are completely in the dark about it as well. They think their kids are good little angels. What the kids do is they go over to a friend’s house, most of the time the parents know nothing of what is going on. I know of situations where the families are very close, the parents being friends that talk to each other often.

How can cell phones help prevent this? Simply a random call, to ask how your child is doing, or anything, works. Sure, you could call the house phone, but most of the time the kids will be somewhere far away from there. It’s really not that hard to tell when someone is under the influence.

Lastly, cell phones are shiny new toys. If you don't think your kid can handle one, try starting with something really strict, and slowly giving them more privileges.

[Momof2kids]

Wow Berber294, you certainly know your stuff and you are probably the exception to the rule, however, teenagers tend to be careless--that's their job until they grow up. We are not picking on the cell phone issue, there are certain advantages to having one, but the real question is..like you said...it's the parents....if this girl was texting every 2 minutes, weren't they aware of what she was doing? Did they ever talk spend time with her or talk to her during the day to notice this behavior? Hmmmmm.....sounds like a parental thing...maybe limiting texting is where they should start.