Phone vs Text vs Email

What type of person are you?


Source: Accredited Online Colleges

Phone:
Yes:”The only way to do business aside from in person.”
Sort-of:”It is easier to understand nuances, humor, and intonation.”
No:”Ugh, it’s so stressful having to actually talk to someone. A phone call is an invasion of privacy.”
Text:
Yes:”Easiest and most convenient by far.”
Sort-of:”That’s a lot of typing on a small keyboard.”
No: “What’s texting? So unprofessional.”

E-mail:
Yes:”Very clear, easy, and always have a record of the convo.”
Sort-of: “Well you can respond when it’s convenient.”
No: “What’s email? It’s hard to tell what people really mean.”

It probably depends on your generation

The Young Ones
43% of 18-24 y.o.’s think texting is just as meaningful as a face to face conversation.
42% of teenagers say texting is the main reason they own a phone.

Millennials prefer emails and texts to other forms of communication.

29% of Millennials think in person meetings are effective vs. 45% of Boomers
[% of generations that use cell to text]
Millennial: 88%
Gen X: 77%
Boomer: 51%
Silent: 9%
Median # of texts in the last 24 hours of
Millennial: 20
Gen X: 12
Boomer: 5
Silent:0

And at the extreme: Teenagers: 50
It’s part of an ‘always connected’ youth culture.

[% of generations that sleep with their phone]
Millennial:83%
Gen X: 68%

Teens and Data Plans: Does Your Teenager Need Internet on Their Cell Phone?

Teenagers in today’s society have a wealth of information at their fingertips. Just by using a web-enabled cell phone, they have access to everything the internet has to offer. News outlets across the United States have reported the unseen dangers, but many parents remain unaware of the trouble that can result.

Here are ten reasons you might want to consider canceling your teen’s data plan.

1. Difficult to Monitor – Despite the parental controls that some service providers offer, a tech-savvy teen can still hide their tracks on a mobile device.
2. Sexually Inappropriate Content – Not having a data plan makes sending questionable images to another cell phone much more difficult. The lack of online capabilities can greatly reduce the access your teen has to sexually inappropriate content, whether that means pornography or sharing ill-advised photos of themselves.
3. Bullying – The bullying epidemic among older kids and teens is no secret. Limiting the capabilities of your teen’s cell phone can help protect them from some forms of bullying, or prevent them from being a bully to others.
4. The Distraction Factor – Today’s teens spend an enormous amount of time using social networking sites from their phones, leaving them completely distracted from the world around them. Not having the ability to access such sites at their fingertips throughout the entirety of their day forces them to interact with their surroundings; everything from their grades to the conversation at the dinner table can improve when there’s no media plan available.
5. Cheating – Having access to search engines during a difficult test can tempt even the most honest teen. Removing that temptation can help steer your teen away from making a decision that can have an adverse effect on their academic future.
6. Usage Fees – The charges for data usage can be exorbitant, especially if your teen is downloading music, games and ringtones. Opting to have data usage disabled can save a small fortune, especially if you have more than one teenager on a family plan.
7. Driving Dangers – While disabling data use doesn’t prevent texting, it can limit the available distractions. Have a talk with your teen driver about the dangers of texting while driving, but it might be a good idea to also consider dropping the data plan from their line for this reason as well.
8. Peer Pressure and Risky Behavior – Today, everything from nudity to fighting is encouraged among groups of teens, simply for the purpose of recording and sharing the photos and video footage. Limiting the capabilities of your teen’s device can curtail his or her involvement in such risky or illegal behavior.
9. Spreading of Harmful Rumors and Gossip – Though most wouldn’t use the term “blackmail,” that’s exactly what some teens are doing when they use photos and video caught on a cell phone to torment a classmate. Though disabling your teen’s data usage won’t protect them from being the victim of voyeurism, it will prevent them from sharing embarrassing footage of others.
10. Too Much Information – Many social networking sites like Facebook offer the ability to “check in” from a mobile device. This publishes the user’s current location, sometimes complete with a map. For naïve teens, this doesn’t seem like an issue, but it can be dangerous if their privacy settings allow strangers to see the information.

Simply restricting your teen’s access to these services won’t keep them safe from the dangers of our high-tech society. It’s imperative to explain your reasons for not allowing mobile web access, and to have a conversation about the behaviors that a cell phone simply documents.

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The Great Debate: Do Kids Need Cell Phones?

A debate that can depend on the child?
A debate that can depend on the age of the child?
A debate that can depend on the maturity of the child?
A debate that can depend on the family and their beliefs?

The debate regarding the necessity of mobile phones for children continues to rage on as kids demand cell phones at younger and younger ages. Many parents, however, believe that cell phones are a non-essential luxury that can be reserved until a certain age; others feel that in this day and age, mobiles are an important asset for everyone, children included.

In this article, we’ll look at 10 reasons why your kid can do without a mobile:

1.  Children shouldn’t be any place where there isn’t responsible adult supervision – Any time children aren’t within the care of their parents there should always be someone old enough to watch the kids with them. There is no need for them to carry their own personal phones when they and their parents adhere to this simple common sense policy, which has worked for centuries.
2.  What children actually use phones for varies greatly from why the phone was initially bought – Children are using these phones for everything but the emergencies that parents use as a rationale for equipping them with mobiles in the first place. Facebook won’t help in an emergency, and neither will Angry Birds. And who texts an emergency message anyway?
3. The phones being purchased for emergency situations are coming equipped with the latest technology – Most parents who argue that the phone is a safety measure for their child wind up spending a bundle on web access and texting service for their kids’ phones, both of which are totally unnecessary for their supposed purpose.
4.  Cell phones are becoming less a help and more a hindrance – Kids spend time on their mobile phones that could and should be spent more productively. Given the state of education in this country, the time is past due to eliminate distractions rather than hand them out to our kids.
5. Cell phones open gateways to trouble – Most of the dangers to their kids that parents are dealing with are related to the fact that their kids are in constant contact via cell phones. Cyber-bullying, sexting and other such issues are far more likely to put your child at risk than not having a cell phone.
6.  Having the world at your fingertips can be a dangerous distraction – Cell phone use could in fact put your child at risk to the sort of perils that parents envision when they buy the kids phones to begin with. Think about it: your child is too busy texting, surfing, or playing games that she becomes otherwise oblivious to her surroundings.
7.  They cause a dependence on constant connection – It isn’t healthy for kids to remain so dependent on constant connectivity in order to function. Kids need to develop independence and the capacity for responsible decision-making without supervision.
8.  They have a negative influence on productivity and learning – Kids are frequently using their cell phones, to their own detriment as well as others, at times and in places at which there is no need for them to have one, such as in school. Some schools, for this reason, have taken steps to ban them.
9.  Cell phones encourage superficial relationships – Cell phone use inhibits social development. Kids become more reliant on their devices to communicate and spend less face time with friends and family as a result.
10.  They make kids grow up too fast – Kids should be allowed to be kids. There will be plenty of years ahead when they will have jobs and responsibilities that might necessitate their having these electronic leashes. We should let them enjoy this time in their lives while they still can.

 Source: Land Line Phone Service

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Has Text Replaced Spelling? Online Games to Help Teach Kids to Spell

With this generation being the texting generation it’s more important than ever that they learn to spell words correctly.  There are many different ways to do this, but the most fun are online games.  It’s more fun than just rote memorization.

Check out 10 online games that help kids spell.

1. www.spellingcity.com: This is a great site with at least 25 games related to spelling and grammar.  This site allows you to type in your child’s spelling list from school and then it will use that list in all of the games.  There’s a straight spelling test that allows you to see if they are learning the words or not.  Then there’s a game like hang man, matching games, speed games and many more.  There are even crossword puzzles that you can play.  
2. www.kidsspell.com:  Some very interesting and different games on this site.  There’s one called Farkle Frog that is just like Frogger and the frog jumps through traffic and onto logs and then jumps on the letters to spell the words.  There’s a city called Miaopia where balloons go when they are released by humans and you create your own character and then find letters and unscramble them to spell words.  This world is extensive and when you learn you earn coins and then you are able to go to the store and buy clothes and things for your online self.  This world is elaborate and has earth science, math as well as history lessons.
3. www.funbrain.com/spell/: This site does not allow you to put in your own list, but it does give your child various lists so they can just play and practice spelling.  Spellaroo features a kangaroo and you click on the misspelled words in the sentence.  When you get finished you can go to the land of the joeys and play.  This site has math and reading as well as other fun games on it.  The arcade games are particularly fun.
4. www.spellingbeethegame.com: This will challenge even an adult so if your child is a very accomplished speller this site is the place to send them.  Strange words are used such as zuuzuu and kraal. 
5. gamequarium.com/spelling.html: There are 32 different spelling games on this site and there are a lot of different ones.  You can type in your own spelling list.  All of the games have to do with water so that is the tie in to the aquarium part of the name. 
6. Eduplace.com:  Fun, but limited on the number of games that it offers.  This site breaks apart words to help you spell them correctly based on the sounds.
7. www.bigiqkids.com: A totally different approach is taken on this site.  There are animated characters that go through lessons to teach the spelling words.  First the child is asked to spell a word and they can see it.  Then the next lesson they spell the word for a robot.  The following lesson the child writes the words on paper and then moves on.  The next lesson they are in a spelling bee situation.  A final quiz is given.  If any words are missed an e-mail is sent to the parents.  The kid cannot advance to the next lesson without scoring 100% on their test.
8. www.spinandspell.com:  Some children learn better one way over another.  This site has a big wheel that the children have to click on the letter on the wheel and it spins as it spells the word.  Then you submit the word and see if you got it right.  When you get it right you move on and when you get it wrong you get another chance to spell it.
9. http://www.manythings.org/cts/: Different than the other sites and has a lot of different choices.  All of the games are the same in that the letters are dropped from above because it’s called Catch the Spelling.  They differ in how hard the words are and how much help is given to the child.  You cannot enter in your child’s own spelling list so this would be a site to use when they just want to play and learn.
10. Spellit: There are 42 different spelling games to go to on this site.  The games are linked to other sites.  Word turtle will allow you to enter in your spelling words and then it will turn them into a word search puzzle.  Critter Jumble is another fun game where you can use virtual fridge magnets to spell out the words.    

Source:  Live-InNanny.com

In reality this is becoming more of serious concern than most think.  Teenagers need to realize when they apply to colleges they need to type in full sentences and interview in person! Yes, in real life!
Be an educated parent, you will have smarter kids!

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TextZapper: Because safety matters

Many people understand that driving distractions are the number one cause for teen auto accidents.  No matter how many time we talk to our teens about driving and texting, we still hear about horrific accidents - and some that are ending lives.

Oprah promotes The No Phone Zone and received many signatures from celebrities and all walks of life to take the pledge not to text and drive, including talking and driving.  The cell phones should simply be turned off or placed in the glove box where they won't distract the driver - of any age!

However teens being teens, never believe that these accidents can happen to them.  The joy of believing that bad things just happen to other people come with being youthful and immature (respectfully).

Some facts about distracted driving and teens:


• Currently 30 states have anti-texting laws.
• The #1 cause of teen deaths is car accidents.
• Over 5000 teens ages 16-20 die due to fatal injuries caused by car accidents each year.
• 16-19 year olds have the highest risk of being in an accident.
• Approximately 400,000 drivers ages 16-20 will be seriously injured in accidents, annually.
• 16-19 year olds are 4 times more likely than other drivers to be involved in a car crash.
• Teens are 10% of the US population, but account for 14% of all fatal car accidents.
• 60% of 16-18 year old drivers will be in a police-reported collision.
• Teen drivers ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than older drivers to crash.
• There is an 89.2% chance of having a crash within the first 3 years of driving.
• There is a 52.5% chance of your teen having 2 crashes within the first 3 years of driving.
• Over 50% of all teen deaths from car accidents occur between 3pm and midnight, and 54% occur on weekends.

New to the market is TextZapper.

TextZapper provides a quick and easy solution to stop texting and emailing while driving, now protecting us all in a way never before possible.

Unfortunately TextZapper is currently only available on SmartPhones and hopefully will be expanded to others or possibly others have a similar product (please share in comments below).  There is a small monthly fee of $4.99 for TextZapper.  One benefit is parents can have peace of mind that the distraction of texting while driving is eliminated.


Learn more at www.zapmytext.com.

Whether you employ TextZapper or another type of service, never stop talking to your teens about the dangers of texting and driving.  It can be deadly.

Don't forget about distracted bicycling!  Too many teens are texting and pedaling, which is extremely dangerous too.  Read more.

Although Florida has a texting and driving bill that passed the Senate Committee, currently there is not legislation in place. For the Florida law update, click here.

Be an educated parent, you will have safer teens.

Read more.

Teen Rule with Texting - New Study Reveals High Cellphone Usage

This week the Nielsen Study was released and revealed some interesting results concerning cellphone usage and texting.  Florida ranks fourth highest in the county for cellphone usage and teens rule when it comes to texting.

As you travel through the school zones in Duval County is it hard to miss at least one teenager on a cellphone or texting someone.  If you stop at the new Dunkin Donuts on San Marcos in St. Augustine you will almost always run into one or more people on their cellphones as well as a teen texting as fast as their fingers will go.

Yes, teens to rule in texting, after all they probably taught their parents how to text. 

The question is, in today's struggling economy who pays for all these cellphones and unlimited texting and Internet plans?  Sure, you can get great rates today, but you also have parents out of work, families losing their homes and many without health insurance.

It is true, for safety reasons and more cellphones are definitely a benefit and they are also a privilege.  Whether you are stranded with a flat tire or running late to pick up a friend, you can simply call from your cell.  We have seen texting benefits when there is a crime being committed or you are in a situation where you can't talk, but can type.

What would happen if parents reduced their cellphone plans to the basics.  Like we had years ago when we only used the phone for emergencies or needed.  Today they are more of a toy, and can be an expensive monthly one.  To assume all families are having financial difficulties is wrong, however it is a fair assumption that many are definitely having economic meltdowns.

When you go over your family budget, have you considered putting a limit on your teen's cellphone usage? If they have a job or allowance, is your teen pitching in for their cellphone?

Take the time to see where you can save a bit.  You may even find having a conversation with your teen verbally isn't so bad.

See the complete Nielsen Study here.

Read more.

Sue Scheff: Text4Baby - Teen Moms Find Help Through Texts

Text4baby is a free mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health. An educational program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB), text4baby provides pregnant women and new moms with information they need to take care of their health and give their babies the best possible start in life. Women who sign up for the service by texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 will receive free SMS text messages each week, timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth.

Read more - click here.

Sue Scheff: Hang Up - Stop Texting and Driving

Eighty percent of all crashes and 65 percent of near crashes involve some type of distraction. Take cell phones for example - their use while driving can reduce the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent. Drivers who use phones are four times as likely to get into crashes. - Source: First Coast News

Using a cell phone while driving can delay a person's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.
Nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver, and more than half a million were injured.

• Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
• Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent.
• Eighty percent of all crashes and 65 percent of near crashes involve some type of distraction.

Talking, texting and driving can kill the same way drinking and driving can. As more and more teens use texting as their first course of communication, they are the ones we need to stress that texting and driving can kill. Parents need to be firm on their rules of texting, talking and driving. No text is worth dying over.

Read more and watch video.

Sue Scheff: SEXTING - What Parents Need to Know

Parenting resolutions are ones that you can't afford to ignore or neglect after a few weeks. One of 2009's hot and trendy topics is "sexting." What is sexting? It is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones.

We don't need more reminders of what sexting can cause emotionally to students. In Florida we had the sad story of cyber tragedy that ended in the suicide of 13 year-old Hope Witsell.

Here are some tips and what parents need to know and use now and in 2010. (Source: Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy):

Set time of day limits on cell phone usage: While many parents have a hard time regulating the number of texts per month and have surrendered to "unlimited texting", you can control the hours that your teen texts. We suggest determining a time when cell phones come of the pocket or out of the bedroom and are placed in a central location on a charger along with your cell phone. Kids who are permitted to keep their cell phones in their room overnight on average get less sleep and are often times texting in the middle of the night. Make the right choice in allowing your teen to obtain uninterrupted sleep by limiting the hours that they have phone access and set rules on when texting is appropriate.

Take laptops out of your child's bedroom: While computers and the Internet provide wonderful educational opportunities and help teens study, they also can provide 24 hour access to social networking sites, instant messaging and email at times when children are not supervised. By removing computers from the teen's bedroom and placing them in a central location, like a family room or kitchen, teens are less likely to have inappropriate contact through the computer and are more likely to notify a parent about an unusual or disturbing message.

Keep computers and laptops in a common area: Studies have shown that teenagers are less likely to engage in risky behavior if they are accessing the Internet in a common room or area where others are likely to be present. This is even true if no one is standing over their shoulder. Just the fact that you can glance at what is on the screen is enough to make kids think twice before going to inappropriate Internet sites or having conversations with individuals who they may not know. Keeping the computer in a common area can only help your child make safe decisions.

Know your child's username and password: While some parents and most all kids groan at the idea of allowing you access to their social networking page, email account or instant messaging, it really is important. The fact that you have access to the information, despite the fact that you may never actually look, protects kids from making bad choices. What's more, in the unlikely event that something should happen to your child, rather than wasting valuable time while law enforcement obtains subpoenas or search warrants, you can quickly access your child's personal Internet conversations and contacts in a matter of seconds. In nearly all cases, once law enforcement is given the access to the on line material, a missing child has been returned or someone who is targeting your child has been apprehended. It's a small piece of information that can have remarkable results if necessary.

Talk to your child about cyberbullying: Today's bullies are no longer the stereotypical "tough kid" in school, but can often times be a physical small child or a straight "A" student. Cyberbullying can happen around the clock due to Internet and cell phone access, which makes your home no longer "safe" from the bully. With 24-hour access to technology, bullying can continue no matter where the victim goes. Talk to your child about bullying and being bullied. If you feel your child is the target of cyberbullying notify law enforcement immediately.

Be sure to read the Five-Part series of Parenting in 2010 and how you can become better in tune with your kids technically ending with T.A.L.K.

Reminder: 2009 Parenting Tips Wrap-up - Continue to keep those lines of communication open.

Sue Scheff: Teen Sexting Tips

Source: SafeTeens.com

Teen Sexting Tips

These tips are re-posted from our sister site, ConnectSafely.org

“Sexting” usually refers to teens sharing nude photos via cellphone, but it’s happening on other devices and the Web too. The practice can have serious legal and psychological consequences, so – teens and adults – consider these tips!

It’s illegal: Don’t take or send nude or sexually suggestive photos of yourself or anyone else. If you do, even if they’re of you or you pass along someone else’s – you could be charged with producing or distributing child pornography. If you keep them on your phone or computer you could be charged with possession. If they go to someone in another state (and that happens really easily), it’s a federal felony.

Non-legal consequences: Then there’s the emotional (and reputation) damage that can come from having intimate photos of yourself go to a friend who can become an ex-friend and send it to everyone you know. Not only can they be sent around; they can be distributed and archived online for people to search for pretty much forever.

Not just on phones. Sexting can be done on any media-sharing device or technology – including email and the Web. Teens have been convicted for child porn distribution for emailing sexually explicit photos to each other.

Many causes. In some cases, kids are responding to peer pressure in a form of cyberbullying or pressure from a boyfriend or girlfriend (they break up, and sometimes those photos get sent around out of revenge). Sometimes it’s impulsive behavior, flirting, or even blackmail. It’s always a bad idea.

Parents: Talk with your kids about sexting in a relaxed setting. Ask them what they know about it (they may not have heard the term, so “naked photo-sharing” works too). Express how you feel in a conversational, non-confrontational way. A two-way dialog can go a long way toward helping your kids understand how to minimize legal, social and reputation risks.

The bottom line: Stay alert when using digital media. People aren’t always who they seem to be, even in real life, and sometimes they change and do mean things. Critical thinking about what we upload as well as download is the best protection.

Learn more: http://www.safeteens.com/teen-sexting-tips/