The Good, Bad & the Ugly of Teenage Cell Phone Use

   

For many of us, our cell phones serve many positive uses.  They help us find information, stay connected to others and keep our busy lives organized.  Nearly 80% of young people today between the ages of 12-17 own a cell phone- and that number is rapidly rising (Pew Report, 2013).  So, what are our teens doing with this technology?  According to a similar report, texting follows "checking the time" as the most common use of cell phones amongst teenagers.  Additionally, teens under the age of 18 send and receive over 2,779 texts a month which equates to about 1 hour and 51 minutes a day!
     While most teens utilize texting in an appropriate manner to communicate with friends and family, there is also a growing number of teenage texts that relate to bullying and sexual explicit information.  Cyber bullying through the use of cell phones happens to about 1 out of 5 teens.  This practice has caused many teens to become depressed, withdrawn and filled with anxiety.  Fortunately, there has been a growing awareness to the problem which has resulted in new regulations with harsh consequences to those who engage in this type of activity.  As parents, being keen observers to changes in behavior of our children and speaking to them daily about how things are going with them could help detect a problem.
     In the United States, eight states (including Massachusetts) have enacted heavy laws that are meant to dissuade minors from sending and disseminating sexually explicit (nude) photographs, videos and messages (commonly known as "sexting").  24% of high school teens report that they have been involved in sexually explicit communication via their cell phone.  While this practice is much more common amongst girls than boys, most young people do not realize that the sending or dissemination of such messages is a considered "dissemination of child pornography" and can result in felony criminal charges and harsh consequences.  In addition to the legal consequences, the sending and dissemination of sexually explicit information can leave participants in a devastating state of humiliation and isolation from their peers.  It is our hope that our students make good decisions and choices when it comes to the use of their cell phones and how they treat others.  At ELHS, we work to education our students on these issues as much as possible.  In every corner of our building, we have large signs that serve to remind our students to exercise good digital citizenship and to avoid acts of bullying and humiliation.
     This year, we will once again host Digital Citizenship week with the goal of giving our students a forum to learn and speak out about the appropriate uses of technology.  It's a topic that can never be discussed enough and we encourage our parents to talk to their children about what their children are putting out there and receiving either via their phone or internet.  Keep reminding them that once it's out there- it can almost never go completely away.