You know that texting doesn't just happen on phones, right? Kids can (and do) download a free texting app to any wi-fi-enabled device – iPod Touches, iPads, Android tablets, etc. – and text with their friends for hours without racking up any Verizon, AT&T or other mobile carriers' charges. For the same reason that they're popular in countries where SMS, or text messaging, costs a lot, they're … [Read more...] about Texting apps taking over the world, it seems
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Important for safety: ‘It Can Wait!’
There seems to be something automatic about responding immediately when a text comes in. Maybe it's because a text is just part of a conversation. But whatever that reflex is, it needs an override when we're driving – an override either in the software between our ears or some "I'm not available right now" software in our phones. AT&T has an app for that called "DriveMode" that sends a text … [Read more...] about Important for safety: ‘It Can Wait!’
Instagram: Teens’ alternative to texting, FB?
Shades of social media researcher danah boyd's finding on teens' "social steganography" (hiding in plain sight): The Daily reports (about halfway into a 2-min. video) that, because so many parents are now monitoring their kids on Facebook and checking their texts, "an enormous amount of teenagers" are using Instagram to take random photos just so they can chat privately in the comments under them. … [Read more...] about Instagram: Teens’ alternative to texting, FB?
Don’t hype sexting risks to teens
To have credibility with teens, here's what education against sexting needs to factor in (and this can be applied to all Internet safety ed): "Citing risks that students experience as unusual (or even rare) may greatly diminish the impact of any information," wrote psychology professor Elizabeth Englander. "For example, many adults teach kids that once you send a picture digitally, you lose … [Read more...] about Don’t hype sexting risks to teens
Teens’ cellphone data use tripled in past year
On average, teens exchange 3,417 messages per month, or "seven text messages per waking hour," Nielsen found in an analysis of data from more than 65,000 cellphone subscribers. Teens have "tripled their data use in the past year," but "data use across all age groups nearly doubled," the Washington Post reports in its coverage. "Survey participants ages 13-17 used an average of 90 MB per month in … [Read more...] about Teens’ cellphone data use tripled in past year