Andre Yoskowitz
20 Apr 2010 21:11
According to a new report by the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project, texting among American teenagers has exploded over the past years, with 14-to-17-year old girls averaging over 100 sent and received per day.
Overall, over 30 percent of all those surveyed sent 100 per day while 50 percent send over 50.
As of September 2009, 54 percent of teenagers sent at least one message daily, an increase from the 38 percent figure in Pew's data taken a year before.
Teenage boys only averaged 20 per day.
Says the report: "They are using [mobile phones] to share stories and photos. They are using them to entertain themselves when they are bored. They are using them to microcoordinate their schedules and face-to-face gatherings. And some are using their phones to go online to browse the Web, to participate in social networks and check their e-mails."
On the other hand, the report goes into the "darker" aspects of the texting growth saying: "Teens are also using mobile phones to cheat on tests and to skirt rules at school and with their parents. Some are using their phones to send sexts, others are sleeping with buzzing phones under their pillows, and some are using their phones to place calls and text while driving."
The strong growth in texting is thanks to the increasing number of unlimited text subscriptions purchased.