A couple of weeks ago, the Nielsen Company released some research that made our jaws drop. It reports that in the fourth quarter of 2008, U.S. teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 texts per month!
That’s almost 80 texts per day.
We sat down to talk about how we should cover this story, and came up with the idea to challenge a parent to text like a teenager. We called funny man Al Rae in Winnipeg and asked him to send and receive 80 texts a day, just like your average teen. Al is the artistic director of the CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival, writes for CBC’s Little Mosque on the Prairie and Monsoon House, but best of all, he’s a dad.
We’ll feature Al’s story on the June 17 & 20 episode of Spark, but here’s a sneak peek of some of the tape he recorded with his daughter. Click below to play the clip, or download it.
Play audio:
Do you have a teen who texts like crazy? Leave us a comment below with your story and we’ll try to work it into the next show.
[photo by FaceMePLS]
The sad thing about all this is that they don't see the big picture. They think 'well, 10 or 20 cents, that's nothing.' But 80 messages a day equates to an average of $12 / day if they don't have a texting plan. My cell carrier, Rogers, charges 15 cents per text. Assuming you use all 140 characters / text, that equals to $1,123.47 per megabyte. It is just insane that these cellphone companies can charge something like this, especially since it is JUST DATA. As a comparison, I got the iPhone back in August and I purchased the 6 GB per month plan for only $30. (The most I've used per month was 200 MB once). I would need to send about 45,000 text messages in order to max out the data plan with just text messages. Consumers need to be aware of the big pictures and voice their beefs with the telcos in order to change this terrible gouging of customers. Thanks for the opportunity to voice my 2 cents.
text plans dont charge you data, they charge you per message based on the characters. so if you send more than the 140 characters for example you would be charged as sending two messages. but if you happen to be the type who texts a lot then the unlimited plans work. i text quite a bit and my messages can be two words or two pages (140 char) and it makes no difference. megabytes have nothing to do with it even if you dont have unlimited text.
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Out of curiosity, I checked my cell bill to see how many text messages my 17-year-old son sends in a month. He averages 20 per day and, of those 20, almost all fit entirely into the subject line and many are one or two-word texts. For the teenagers that send enough texts to bring the average up to 80, I would bet that most of their messages are extremely short. Given that, I think I could text like a teenager (especially if I didn't have a full-time job where my cell phones stays where it should – unused in my purse).
Oh my. You hit one home when you asked about teens texting. My daughter of course has a cell, and for the first couple of years texted moderately, costing me maybe $10 – 15 per month. Then out of the blue her cell phone bill in one month was almost $200 additional in text charges, and of course as the bill arrives partway into the next month, they continued to pile on with an even higher bill the next month. I called the provider and cut her off for a few months, and now have a unlimited plan for her. I don't know how she can text that often a day, maybe sleep texting? I am of course mighty annoyed with the carrier who could have alerted me to the sudden jump in usage allowing me to make adjustments to the account before the bill sent me into shock!
I volutnteer in a high school, so I can see how they do it. They text while walking down the hallway. They text while standing at their lockers. They text while in line at the cafeteria. They text while sitting at their desks, cell phone held under the desk – and they do it WITHOUT LOOKING! They don't speak to each other anymore. They just send code back and forth.
I am a teenager and yes we do still talk to eachother. We text boys we are scared to talk to and friends/family when we aren't with them. Some people text people sitting next to them which is usefull if you are talking about somthing you dont want parents to hear but when teenagers are just with friends they talk.
I am a 19yr old girl, and have became a master of the art of texting when I was 16. When I first started sending several texts a day, my parents made me pay for the excess it would add on to the bill. I decided to get Unlimited Texting, as I saves me a lot of money monthly as I send probably on average 100 texts a day, and on weekends, easily 150/day
From my point of view, texting much more efficient than a phone call. If i want to quickly update a friend on something, I'll shoot them a text without ending up on the phone for a long time. Also, when you're just getting to know someone, its a good way to get comfortable talking to one another. When I meet a guy that I'm interested in, we usually exchange facebook names or phone numbers and then start chatting informally through that.
So parents, don't get upset with your teen's texting habits, keep in mind its part of our culture. As for the cost, make your teen pay their own – it shows them that if texting is that important to them, they should have no problem dishing out the cash to support it.
I have to say, I'm a big fan of 'asynchronous' communication. I like to leave an email or a tweet, say, so that people can get back to me when they're ready. Face-to-face time becomes really focused, one on one conversation when you're both up for it. I really don't like it when people phone me on a cell while they're waiting for the bus, just because they want to kill some time.
I take issue with the prior post. "my teenager…OF COURSE?! has a cell phone" that means as a parent you've decided to furbish your teen with a device that can dominate their time and forms of communication. 2 teens cannot text about dinner at the dinner table if they do not have cell phones. I'm not sure but I believe that a teenager cannot procure their own cell phone until they're 18 years old so if I'm correct nearly EVERY highschooler that is texting in the hallway, in line and in class is doing so because their parents made it so. I think that we as parents (I've got an 11 year old who has wanted a cell phone for 2 years already) we need to deny our children this responsibility until they have to pay for it on their own (ahem when they turn 18).
Kids are doing the same things but with different tools. in the 50s the telephone was new and teenagers burned the midnight oil on the phone and parents didn't understand. cordless phones in the 80s and 90s allowed teenagers to take the phone into more private places than the family room or the main hallway. Parents had to adapt and set boundaries for all these things. We need to set solid boundaries for cell phones usage. The kids can't text if they don't have their phones.
I have a suggestion that can be discussed. Perhaps a teens phone should be registered at the school. The school could pass on info to students (and parents) through their favorite medium. unregistered cell phones can be confiscated and in every class there could be a phone rack where each student could place their phone for the duration of the learning time. The entitlement that students have to the cell phones is outrageous and I think for the benefit of their education there needs to be some serious restriction on their use inside of a school.
you don't have to be 18 to get a pre-paid cell phone. if these kids have their own income they can still supply themselves a phone without parental consent
I don't know what kind of parenting rules you're working from, but you CAN make your child pay for something before they are 18. Not everything needs to be furbished by you.
Also, this is a common topic in schools. There are huge issues about confiscating someone's property and making the school liable for the phone if it were lost or stolen or damaged. Not something we want to get into.
I don't think the fact that the school should register the phones. That seems too much like Big Brother to me. Students (I speak form experience) do not want to receive information from the school to their private phones, whether it's by a text or call.
Now should students have phones to begin with in school? I say no they shouldn't. It's too much of a distraction and the fact that it's easy to cheat with them is too much of a temptation. Students can survive from 7 hours without it.
Cell phones can give you cancer and nobody seems to care about that…..
I don't understand all this consternation about texting – I think, it's just older people being intolerant of something that they don't understand (weren't parents the same way about that darn rock music in 60's?). People said the same thing about emails ten or fifteen years ago: that it's destroying social behaviour, etc. That's nonsense.
As a 21 year old, I text about as often as the average teenager. I still talk to my friends, I still write letters/emails to my friends, I still phone my friends – if anything, I'm more social because of it. Before texting, if something crazy happened to me in line at the grocery store, I wouldn't dream of calling up a friend and telling them – but now I can just drop them a quick text. If you see something that makes you think of someone, you can just write them a message, without making a big deal about it. It allows you to feel much more connected, and it means that even when you're separated by a long distance you can still communicate.
I think it's probably also improved most young people's multi-tasking capabilities tenfold.
I like your comment. I am a thirty something mother of two and I send about 80 texts a day. I love texting. Like you said, its a quick way to get your message to the recepient and they can respond at their convenience:)
I'm a 26 year old and I can say that I can easily reach 50 text in a day.
I don't understand how people are shocked by this? Not everyone replies with full messages. Entire conversation can occur via text messages comprised of one or two word answers.
How many emails/Instant messages do you answer or send in a given work day? It's basically the same concept.
Every generation sees a change in the next generation and heralds it as the end of something incredibly important. It's not the devil's music, the hippies aren't all commies, the world is not going to end because teenagers text a lot. They used to speak on the phone too much , then before that they listened to the wrong music, its all rather repetitive don't you think?
I'm over double the age of the oldest teenager and don't even own a cellphone, I still understand its just teenagers communicating. The fact that Communication Service Providers are milking 15c messages is telling of Corporate greed, not Teen obsession. Live your life, worry less about the small stuff and more about the big stuff. Be happy.
i dont understand why this is such a big deal, i am NOT a teenager and i text quite a lot in a month but i certainly do not sit at home nights and weekends texting instead of being social and out with friends. Many of my friends live in other cities so texting is a less expensive option than calling in order to keep in touch. also when you are out of your home city (in canada anyways) you are roaming and you get charged to receive any calls so again texting is cheaper and easier in order to make plans and meet up with people… i think the older generation lacks the understanding of why texting is so popular. if you text a lot, then pay for the unlimited texting plans.. no big deal…
Greetings!
Thanks for talking about texting.
I think it's important to think about the advantages of communication by SMS: it's fast , mobile, and multi-purpose. I can type and send a message telling a coworker where I am faster than I can dial and wait for a call to connect, and I can do it anywhere. I do it in four languages every day!
Text has a reputation for frivolous or superficial communication, but isn't this the sentiment people held about e-mail only a decade ago? Like any kind of communication, it is as the user defines it.
It's not costly. If a Rogers wireless customer spends $10/month to apply the 2500 sent SMS to her account, she essentially has a personal walkie-talkie that can connect to any cell user in North America. That's pretty nifty.
Thanks again,
Jeff
80 messages in one day? Wow that's usually done for me after just half a day. I'm constantly deleting all messages in my inbox and outbox at least three times a day. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. It's just Twitter but quicker with no middle man and just like e-mail except over the phone. Sometimes it's the only way to stay in touch with people that you'll only see once or twice a day without having to take up their time with a phone call. You just send it in, and wait.
Oh and thanks from a listener in Mississippi, United States. Love the show.
I'm 14, and I text about 150-200 a day. but that's only because I have a girlfriend and I text during class. If your child is only texting friends, they usually send less but if they're in a relationship they send a lot more. Maybe even Double.
I'm 20 and I will be honest in saying I texted 15,000 last month. I have a full-time job and take classes full-time and still "find the time to text". It is not as excessive as it seems, MOST of my texts are one or two word answers.. some are alerts from my checking account, some from facebook!
Hello! It's called unlimited texting! Every cell phone carrier worth its salt has one. Purchase it and no more worries.
Hi, im 14 and i send on average about 250 a day easily..at minimum but if im sick it’s only about 100….my school doesn’t allow cells during school….just b4 and after…but everyone sends txts anyway during school and the teachers don’t even seem to care anymore….all u need to know is to wear a sweatshirt with a kangaroo pocket and know where the buttons are…i just got a newphone so i have too learn how to do it again……but my dad used to txt me durning school to make plans for later…and he pays for my plan! and doesn’t believe in txting during school but lets me anyway….like…whe are u going to be home? or are you going to the football game 2nite? or is ur brother coming here tonight too? (my parents are divorced)…..my brother on the other hand doesn’t even know how to txt….so if i send him one i get a call back…
im a 18 year old female and i average probably about a 200 texts a day so around 6,000 texts per month.
i really don't think its that much considering i DO NOT text while driving or at school i think its perfectly fine and its a quicker and easier way to communicate with someone. like say im going to a movie that night and i want to let my roommate know all i have to do is send a quick text instead of having to call and hope they answer. its just a easier form of communication in my eyes.
i am a 14 year old boy and i send and recieve around 250 to 300 a day
80 a day is nothing. I send 100-350 a day and that's probably pretty average for most teenagers. I have one friend who sent nearly 32000 texts in one month (thats over 1000 a day!). Its really not hard to send a lot of text messages. One conversation can easily add up to 50 or 100 texts. your there before you know it really. I have an unlimited plan that costs 25 bucks a month so for that kind of communication tool its not a bad deal.
Wow, I thought I was a hard-core texter (I'm 28). Last month I sent over 600 text messages and I thought that was a lot. Make sure your teens have an unlimited texting (both sending and receiving) plan or else the consequences could be dire.
Believe it or not..the rest of us are probably texting while reading all of these comments. I am 17, and I am constantly texting. When parents say that it is such a waste of time, I don’t believe that…cuz it prevents long distant phone calls. Besides, if you know where the keys are on ur phone, u can have 2 or more conversations at once it’s a piece of cake. I pay for the texting which is $10 per month, and believe me its well worth it.
There’s always going to be that next generation where they’ll say well I didn’t have that…and its alwayz goin to b tht way..so live with it. So, I encourage all of you to get texting.
I don’t understand what’s so bad about teens texting. There are other things you should worry about if you are the parent of a teen, and texting should be the least of your concerns. I send an average of 100 texts daily, while other teens seem to be smoking 100 cigarettes daily (it’s an exaggeration, I know parents aren’t fond of that either). But hey, texting is a good way to keep in touch, as it’s more accessible than email (unless you are sitting in front of a computer all day), and it doesn’t interfere with life like phone calls do. And since people can’t punch you through the phone, it ‘s better than face-to-face socialism in some situations.
I send 100-350 a day and that's probably pretty average for most teenagers. I have one friend who sent nearly 32000 texts in one month (thats over 1000 a day!). Its really not hard to send a lot of text messages.
My son was texting his girlfriend over 400 times per day. Cutting back was 100. He and her texted each other when they hung with other friends and lost those friends. While trying to study and got bad grades, it was constant. When I only gave them 30 minutes to talk or text per day they thought I was a "horror" thanks Kajeet the madness is under control.