What's up with kids and texting these days?!? I mean, I've heard stories of kids who are five feet away from each other and they text to each other! And they text in school! Well... I've only heard that, I've never seen it... thank goodness!

They do it constantly! The worst are around 11-13yr olds!

My 16-year old son texted me from the BACK SEAT while I was driving.

It's amazing, how they expect one to read these text messages while driving................

I manage.

I once had someone offer to text message me answers for a test at school.

A lot of these kids will more than likely have carpil tunnel before their senior year!

Cell phones at school? Test answers? What kind of ringtone do these kids have? Mosquito?

I saw an article about ringtones kids use that only kids can hear. Something about how us fogeys lose hearing sensitivity to high frequency sounds.

edit - Here it is - mosquito ringtones

Very unscientific, I know, but I could hear the tones 10 years younger than my age.

Regardless, you can set your phone to not ring or vibrate at all...just blink. At least you can on mine.

My kids are in trouble; I can hear all of those ringtones except the "youngest" two.

Simple solution, don't buy the kids phones. No matter how much whining.

Probably go to jail for that now a days.

I blocked the internet and messaging on our plan.

What about those Jitterbug phones in Best Buy? They look like they are phone use only.

My 81-year old MIL just got a Jitterbug.

BIG numbers for those less-than perfect eyes.

I think I heard her say $20/month for 100 minutes. She paid about $100 for the phone itself (don't quote me on this, MY memory is about as good as HER eyes!)

As a teaching intern I'll tell you that kids use phones in school constantly. Then, teachers take them to the principal because you aren't allowed to have the phones OUT in school. Then, annoying parents come in and yell and you for taking their child's phone which the child absolutely must have for whatever reason. Not only are these kids texting answers to tests, but they are sending pictures of themselves to other students. By pictures I mean underwear/naked. I heard this on the news the other day. The pictures people take for myspace and facebook make me believe that it's happening. Some teenager on Judge Judy the other day had topless pictures on her myspace. When asked why she did the the girl said she sees nothing wrong with it. Kids aren't thinking about the future very much it seems. I remember when a teaching candidate was refused a job because there was a Halloween picture of her on her myspace page drinking beer. I remember another instance where one teacher had done porn at sometime in the past and when it was discovered she was fired and can't get hired at all.

Kids need to think about the consequences of doing this crap. Elliott (from the DC 101 station) says it's the cool thing to do now and he sees nothing wrong with it. People that think like that are idiots. That comment really annoyed me. I don't see how anyone can think that it's ok for their child to send naked pictures to people in school. Give it two days and the entire school has seen it, it's on someone's web page, and people around the world are staring at it.

Yes. Don't buy your kid a cell phone period, I like that. There is no reason I should see 6 year olds with cell phones, it's stupid. Don't let your kid go further than the block, if they can't hear you calling them to come eat dinner then you are too far away and you get in trouble. Kid can have a cell phone when kid gets car with a few minutes to only use in emergencies. Stupid people...

Texting: I am easily impressed by fast texters over the age of 30.

I feel for teachers, what a distraction or hidden temptation. Teaching and texting is a lot different from 10 years ago.
Cell Phones are here to stay for better or worse. Whether at school, in the middle of a movie, in a board meeting, or at Church; I have heard them ring, or seen folks hunched over texting during Lord knows what.

Life in 2008.
I guess we need those movie announcements on phone courtesy through out our day. On a continual loop.

My 90 yr old parents have Jitter Bugs, it is the only cell phone we could find that they could use comfortably. The numbers and keys help the challenges from cataracts and arthritis. Not the most economical but it works. They are connected to family.
COOL, Inter-Generational cell phone usage going on all over.

Every kid I know has a cell phone. It's a direct link to your kid whenever and wherever. Who wouldn't want that? To have a mobile or to not have a mobile, is not the question. Keep up with technology and keep up with your kids because they will leave your ass in the dust.

IF I had kid of age, they'd have a mobile whether they wanted one or not. The rules would be: 1, 2, 3. Plain and obvious. You're stuck with the mobile any way, whether you have the ability to use that phone for recreational purposes would be decided by your ability to comply with rules 1, 2, 3. YOU are the bill payer. YOU can control the use of that mobile more than you think you can.

Keep up, y'all.

I don't understand why people need cell phones at that young an age (unless they have a career like acting and they go to 4 hr. long rhearsal everyday). I have a cell phone, but I can't go online with it, and texting costs 20 cents ea.; that's enough to keep me away from texting.

I agree, there is nothing you can say to make me think that 6-15 year olds need phones. We were just fine without them a few years ago.

Agreed. Why would a 3rd or 4th grader need a cell phone? Exactly where would they be at that age unsupervised??? IF you cave & get your child a phone - why not one of those pre-paid phones? Set limits. Do something... Some of the young kids I see chatting & texting away at the most inappropriate places while their parents are standing/sitting right beside them??? Pet Peeve...

My kids did not get cell phones until last christmas, when they were 14 & 16, and they got $20 pre-paid phones & every 60 days I put another $20 on them. But I instilled in them that texting costs money & I am not willing to pony up extra $..they use them to contact each other or me to pick them up at a school event after school such as Key Club.

But before they were this old, I did not see any need for them to have cell phones. My neighbor's kid even got suspended for using a cell phone in school so much..what a dumb thing to do(by the student)..

I have a nephew, now 14, who got his first phone at 11. He promptly lost it at baseball practice. Six months or so went by and he was given another chance (these are hand-me-down and used phones from family members). This one was dropped in the toilet within a week. Fast forward almost two years and he has another one, which he has managed to take care of and be responsible with since Christmas. If he's "good" with it until his summer birthday, his parents are going to give him texting. If you already have a family cell phone plan, it really isn't expensive to add another line, and like I said, the phones were old, used ones.

While I don't think that it's necessary or a good idea to give kids phones at such a young age, it is how things are now. I didn't need and Mom couldn't understand why I'd want the new $100 Air Jordans I got when I was 12. But I whined, did a few chores, got a few grades, and pleaded my case that everybody had them and Mom hooked me up....eventually.

Good points Sman and Tx, sounds about right. I recall similar experiences and precautions.

Loved the reference to Air Jordans. Agree, it was goofy to text so much that she got suspended. Glad the student got held accountable. It is easier to just not add texting to the package if it is a problem. The cell phones are great for after school pick ups. It is always something.

After awhile when we upgraded we did get texting. My kids did pretty well w/ cell phones, one or two reminders and the limits were set. It was tied to who was paying the bills, so that helped. Can not argue with that.

Was the candidate 21 years of age or older? If so, I see no reason why she would be refused a job because of this. Last I checked, it's not illegal for people of age to enjoy a beer.

Yes, they were over 21. It was during the time when everyone was making a big deal about employers deciding not to hire you because of what you have on your myspace page.

All they have to do is go there and put your name in and look at all that lovely information they get. They can decide not to hire you for any reason they want to make up it seems.

I'll see if I can dig up the story. Do you remember when that was going on though? At college someone even did a survey to see if we think it's ok for a company to fire you for talking trash about the company on a blog, or because of what is on your myspace page.

EDIT: WOW! Here is the story. They wouldn't give her a TEACHING CERTIFICATE BECAUSE OF IT! Here you go Check THIS out:

http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2029

About the cell phones:

I don't see WHAT kids can possibly be texting every 5 minutes.

Hey I'm in math and I'm bored.
This teaching is annoying.
What are you doing?
Nothing
What are you doing?
Bored.
Etc.... what a stupid waste of money. Idiot children.

I don't like talking on the phone and avoid it at all costs!! I don't even know how to text and don't ever want to learn.

But, I just learned alot of new stuff by reading this thread. My boys are older and all have their cell phone sas does their father and I am grateful for that. I can not be reached by phone very often and it's nice to know that they can call each other etc. And they all talk daily.

But, I was under the impression that texting is unlimited. So, it's cheaper to text than to call. Am I wrong about that?? My youngest son uses the text more because of that, or so I thought.

I can see, after reading all this, why texting can be a real problem in school, though. But, cell phones are great when you need to keep in touch and especially when you get lost. They're here to stay, but I still won't be using them much.

My wife and I both are on Celluar One plan's. Our son and his wife both have Sprint. We text them in order to keep the minutes down during off peak hours. Texting in all our plans allow us unlimited texting. Now after 7 PM or on weekends we call each other.
What is more concerning to me is the amount of people that text while driving. Especially those driving a Commercial vehicle. At those times while I'm behind the wheel even my own personal vehicles I don't and won't use my phone. Let it ring isn't that why I have voice mail? And texting I can read it when I'm not driving.
Our daughter a while back bought our 7 year old grandson a cell phone. We went balistic over it. Turn's out Mommy was using it to hide calls she didn't want the boyfriend to know about. Thats another thread issue. BTW she no longer has her children.

It depends on your plan. I have the $99 plan with Sprint, unlimited everything (its my only phone), but you can pay $15 (I think) for unlimited text messages.

Personally, I do a lot of texting for personal and business use since I don't like chatting on the phone all the time.

At least it gets them off of the internet and IM.

So that I can log on and surf and play games. Hehehe!

Seriously! Ever since I gave my youngest a cell phone with unlimited texting, she's no longer hogging the PC. It's great!

Gah! That's preposterous! In the picture (that I've posted below), she's not even holding anything that is labeled as alcohol! It's in a Mr. goodbar cup! It's because the caption below the picture on her myspace page said "Drunken sailor." BFD!!??

I just can't get over the fact that Millersville University could legally withold her teaching certificate because of this picture. AND SHE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL!!

I could maybe understand if she's doing something against the law, but since when can't teachers drink alcohol on their own time?

She's suing them and I hope she wins.

That example is indeed preposterous and she should win that lawsuit without question. But the point is definitely a valid one that you need to watch what you do on the web. Potential employers routinely do web searches on job candidates these days so you should doa search on yourself too periodically, and make sure there's nothing out there that you wouldn't want your potential new boss seeing.

I think it's perfectly ok to not hire someone based on an online blog or comments on a myspace page, not ok to not certify them. I don't know that it is ok to fire someone for their comments on the internet, but then again I would never post crap about my job on the internet, so I don't feel bad for people. Myspace is childish in my opinion. (By that I mean the typical way people use it with pictures of celebrities and pictures of themselves and surveys/quizzes, which final fantasy 7 character are YOU?!?!?, etc) I'm over it

By the way. I'm a teaching candidate and the school does NOT certify you, the state does. Based only on credentials, not your myspace page. That is secondary teaching however (7-12 grade) elementary or middle may be different. I only get a mathematics degree from my university, then I apply for certification in MD.

I've heard, especially with certain positions, if you are looking for employment - do not have a myspace. Apparently, employers have thought if you do have one - it should be attached to your resume! I think the problem is growing from the fact of what myspace has turned out to be... It started as an ADULT networking tool and quickly caught on to younger & younger teenagers & pre-teens... It seems crazy that a person's qualifications on a resume & in an interview could be ultimately based on pictures or comments on a myspace!

Ah myspace.... fun to skip around looking at pages but I always wind up surfing you-tube....heh. Back on topic texting. Im waiting for the kids to start wearing ear-buds and sending morse code to each other! Its funny how these kids follow their parents through life staring at a text screen or even a Nintendo DS. Totally enthralled like little zombies. Parents just glad some gadget keeps them from having to interact or deal with them. Just an occasional "come on" to make sure they navigate without getting seperated. Kids bumping into people and stuff.....nice....

If people want/have a myspace page, all they have to do it set their profile to private if they don't want anyone to see it. It takes about 15 seconds to log in and do.

Set it to private, and make sure you set all of your pictures to private as well. Make sure no one else has your full name on their page. Even with mine private when I put my name in the search friends' pages came up. So change your name in the system too. Then you should be ok. Or: just don't have one. Adults on there were being to childish for me. "Why did you take me off your top 10?" "Fill out this bulletin or you will be cursed for 10 years." Dumb.

I just don't see what children find the need to text to each other every 5 minutes, as I said before.

Here is the good side to texting:
*communicate just about whereever
*usually easy to do
Downside:
*addictive
*waste of money w/out unlimited
*it takes just as long for the person to read and reply...you might as well just call them!

My friend and I were coming up with ideas if kids want to keep their cells with them @ school:
Check it into the office (TURNED OFF), then grab it and go at the end of the day. But I can already see some problems with that...

I guess not everyone realizes the potential of internet and mobile phone. You can make your kids phone and internet do what you want it to do.

ahem

For example: you can get your kid a phone and make it only able to call your work, your home, your mobile, 911.


I guess I'm the dumb one here.

Yeah, I know. In fact, my phone was able to go on the net and stuff like that, but I got it blocked. I mean, it costs 15 DOLLARS to go on it ONCE!!!!! That is insane!

Is this for real?!?!?

Don't ya think if the parents noticed somthing this extreme in their twelve year old, taking the phone away before this would have been a much simpler solution? Or, wait - even having some set guidelines about using the phone in the first place?!?!?

I know that this "going on the net" stuff on your phone is cool and all, but ISN'T THAT WHY YOU HAVE A COMPUTER!!!!!!!!! Just asking.

It's easy to go online on your phone, and waste about 150 bucks a day. Someone can also go on your myspace page and text it's URL to everyone they know...which can be dangerous if it's someone you don't know.

As Heather said, it might be easier if parents who have irresponsible kids make the phone only call 911 or their parents or things like that.