Kids Addicted To Text Messaging For Social Status

from the get-'em-young dept

Fri, Apr 4th 2003 8:53am — Mike Masnick

A new study has found that kids in the UK are somewhat addicted to their mobile phones and using mobile text messaging to boost their self-esteem and convince themselves they have social value. The report also claims that the mobile phone companies have followed some of the tactics of the tobacco industry of getting children completely addicted to mobile messaging. Some kids apparently showing signs of "dependency" on the phones. While parents may be buying the story that it's good for kids to have phones for safety purposes - the kids feel they need phones for social reasons, and once they're "hooked", they don't want to give it up.

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Huw, 4 Apr 2003 @ 9:20am

woo
Glad I didn't buy into the whole teen mobile phone thing like all my friends did.
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Duffman, 4 Apr 2003 @ 10:42am

SMS & status
I remember reading somewhere (I think it was an article, but good luck having me remember) within the past few months an interview with teens who discussed their SMS usage. One girl said that if she didn't get at least one in the morning, a couple during the day, and one in the evening, she felt that she was unloved and would sometimes feel depressed.

Yeah, I'd call that dependency.
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