Tumblr 101: Tips And Tricks To Get Started
Sebastian Thrun: Google's Driverless Car
Pre-Teen Kids Sending Over a Thousand Texts a Month
At the risk of dating ourselves, we'll admit that we didn't get our first cell phones until we could already drive a car. As for text messages, those came even later than did the mobile phone. That's probably why this recent Nielsen report on kids and texting left us with our mouths agape. According to data from about 40,000 mobile phone bills, kids under 12 years old send, on average, 1,146 text messages a month. That translates to about four messages sent for each waking hour. If you bring in teenagers, aged 13 to 17, the numbers jump to 3,146 messages a month, or about 10 messages an hour.What does all this mean? Well, it means parents might want to consider talking with their kids about their texting habits. But it's also not great news for American cell phone service providers. Why? Well, these kids are sending plenty of text messages, but they're doing it for practically nothing. Looking at the Nielsen data, only a very small percentage of people use the pay-as-you-text method, which costs about $0.20 per message. Instead, they purchase plans that cost $10 or $20 a month and thus lower the cost of sending a message to about $0.01. It's like paying for a magazine subscription at a huge discount in lieu of purchasing each issue at a newsstand. You'll pay a large chunk on the front end, but it saves money in the long term.
Now, we're not old fogeys, and we do send our fair share of texts these days, but what could a kid younger than 12 years old possibly need to say in a text message? "Will u brng a xtra choc chip cookie 2 lunch 2mrw?" [From: Nielsen]
Related Links:
Jennifer Aniston's Effortlessly Sexy Style
Whitney Houston Dead: Singer Dies at 48, Body Found in Beverly Hilton Hotel
Sheryl Crow Loves To Flaunt Toned Physique
Whitney Houston Autopsy: Cause of Death Determined?
Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina: Late Singer's Daughter Hospitalized
QUIZ: How Much Do You Know About Marriage In The U.S.?
Whitney Houston Dead: Stars React to Legend's Sudden Death
Grammy Red Carpet 2012 (PHOTOS)
PHOTOS: Remembering Whitney Houston's Glittering Style
Grammy 2012 Winners' List: Adele Sweeps Music's Biggest Night
Katy Perry Grammy Performance 2012: Diva Tricks Fans With Faux Technical Meltdown
LINSANITY CONTINUES
Tips for flying cheaper in 2012
There's only one thing to do when the Nürburgring is covered in snow...
Grammy Awards 2012: The Best & Worst Of The Red Carpet!
Tax Reform in This Election Year: It's Not Likely
Comforter Soaked In Blood Found In Josh Powell's Storage Unit
TV's Best Music Moments
The Happiest People In The World...
PHOTOS: Two Outfits, One Day!
Mitt Romney Wins Maine Caucus
12 Grammys Stars Who Gave Good Style
Chloë Moretz Is All Grown Up
SLIDESHOW: Scientists On God
Simon Cowell: Whitney Would've Been The Ultimate 'X Factor' Mentor
New Rankings Finds D.C. Is A Great Place For Single Men
'There's No Way She's Dead'
PHOTOS: J.Lo Strips Down
Former Wall Street Journal Columnist, Best-Selling Author Dies
PHOTOS: Thank God For Grown-Up Glamour
WATCH: Adorable Animals Riding Other Animals
PHOTOS: Best And Worst Of Grammy Dresses
Comments
42
Subscribe to commentsPatriciaJan 30th 2010 2:11PM
They get bored because they don't have enough to do!!!! I don't imagine kids EARN an allowance anymore. A lot of kids just have things handed to them with even thinking about it.
KendraFeb 6th 2010 8:29PM
Some kids yes, don't earn their allowance. But there are many kids out there who do work for their money. Please do not judge every teen on just the bad few you see.
thrtnstarsJan 30th 2010 2:38PM
Ha-my 16 year old averages 14,000 texts a month
knsphillJan 30th 2010 2:44PM
My 15 year old too! And she has chores, keeps up with her studies and dances 20 hours a week.
JaneJan 30th 2010 3:09PM
Now there is something to be proud about!
emmaJan 30th 2010 5:16PM
Wow...you are proud that your teen sends that many texts a month? L-O-S-E-R in life! Your teen is missing out on so much and when she/he needs to actually work and communicate with others in the real world I feel sorry for them. Why can't parents enrich their children's lives with the money they spend to pay the darn cell phone bills?! I am DISGUSTED when I read stuff like this!
CoopJan 30th 2010 4:25PM
Why the hell does ANYONE need to text at all? Regardless of age, I'd bet that fewer than .001% of texts communicate anything worth reading. I have e-mail. If I absolutely need to type a message, I damn sure won't do it with my thumbs on a keyboard the size of a credit card or try to read something on a tiny little screen. Call and leave a message on my voice mail; I'll get back to you when I'm not busy living.
MERRILY SNIDERJan 30th 2010 8:13PM
Coop,
Last night (or at 3am this morning) I sent my daughter a text message to ask her if she was coming home or stay with a friend so I could shut off the front light. I was up reading so didn't mind a call - which she would have known, but out of concern for making her feel embarrassed with her friends, a text message was something she could read anytime and her friends wouldn't think her mom was stalking her. We share a cell phone account and she rarely uses any minutes because she uses text messages instead of calling people. I am glad she doesn't use all of the minutes on our account so text messaging is definitely appreciated by me.
leolux10Jan 30th 2010 8:13PM
So, having a phone to your ear is considered "living"? Bluetooth devices are pretty dorky, and get lost half the time, wired headsets enetually malfunction. blehhh
How about going with the latter (texting)? Where you can do whatever it is you're doing, without the anguish of having to hear someone's voice you're not necessarily thrilled to talk to at the moment?
Texting gives you freedom. Freedom to conduct a conversation, without the immediate obligation to respond on cue. It doesn't come off as rude, you can't hang-up on anyone (or vice/versa), they don't drop....like calls, you can partake in several conversations effectively/effortlessly (if you're paying attention), you can even insert pictures (unlike on a call), and overall, you just feel less constricted! Just like the voicemail (which I consider to be quite impersonal), texting is just another way of talking to others, without actually "talking" to them.
Convenience is the name of the game. Lighten up, "Coop".
Adele RobersonJan 30th 2010 3:02PM
14,000 texts in one month.
I think your kid needs to see a shrink.
You should go with that teen... you need one also.
The word is narcissism....you probably don't know what it means.. look it up.
bijoujouJan 30th 2010 8:08PM
.....Princess, you need to look up the word. Because you clearly have no idea what it means.
I love how youre judging how narcissistic someone is by the texts they send.
So, before you make yourself look like a nitwit again, step away from your computer, grow up, then come back.
We will be waiting right here for you.
oldephartJan 30th 2010 3:08PM
LOL!! A far cry from when a kid's only concern was having enough 9volts to play their am... Welcome to the new age.. Now, imagine what your kids' children will be doing (wanting) as they grow up..
AnonymousJan 30th 2010 3:41PM
Hey, Mom, can you resubscribe me to the Virtual World Simulator? It's only 900 credits for the twentieth time, and I get a free extra helmet too!
PJD120Jan 30th 2010 3:41PM
I hear everyone. My 16 year old does about 5,000 text a month and I think that is way too much, that is why I am having her do things so she won't have all this time texting everybody. And yes I keep wondering what the hell are you talking about? And why are people getting 10 and 12 year olds cell phones? All of my children were teenagers when they got their first cell phone. I just can't see what a 10 year old would be talking about on a cell phone. Doesn't make any sense to me at all.
StephanieJan 30th 2010 3:41PM
omg !!!!!! no wonder my parents get soo pissed off !!
ThePeachMasterJan 30th 2010 3:55PM
...Yeah. I'm 14 and don't text at ALL. I find it quite boring, actually. I'd rather be doing something maybe a bit more amusing. In fact, I usually turn on my phone every couple of months or so. If I want to talk to my friends, I call them or facebook them (another thing I haven't checked in a while.). Teens these days are snobby, arrogant, useless people who have nothing better to do than text. (Not all of them, of course.) In fact, I think it's an embarrasment be classified as a "teen".
chocolateJan 30th 2010 6:52PM
I'm 16 and not allowed to have a Facebook; so, yeah, texting is my lifeline. I don't know how many texts I send a month, but usually less than 15 per day I guess?
BUT, I definitely get that the way most teenagers act today can prejudice people against you. Even my parents expect me to rebel and sneak out and lie to their faces! What can you do except show them you won't?!?!?
LasVegasXJan 30th 2010 3:58PM
I don't see why parents even give kids cell phones. I understand that they want to communicate when something major happens, but there should be no other reason for kids to have cell phones. This is coming from someone who is not old or old fashioned.
a manJan 30th 2010 4:04PM
I thought that this was about teen-agers. If it was teen-aged boys doing something over 1,100 times a month, then I'd say masterbating.
bleulillysJan 30th 2010 4:06PM
I love how parents are using this article as an excuse to cry about their teens texting habits.