Using cell phones during class
One-fourth of teens’ text messages are sent during class, according to a new survey. The poll found that teens send 440 text messages a week on average — 110 of them during class. That works out to more than 3 texts per class period.
This is in spite of widespread classroom bans on mobile phones at school. Only 23% of parents whose children have cellphones think they are using them at school; 65% of students say they do.
Using cell phones to cheat on tests
A significant number of teens also have stored information on a cell phone to look at during a test or have texted friends about answers.
Even more disturbing is that only about half of teens say that this is a “serious offense.” Could it be that students have developed different personal standards about handwritten information vs. material stored on cellphones? That may be a good topic to bring up with your children in a discussion about honesty.
Using cell phones while driving
About one third of teens aged 16-17 who have cellphones say they have texted while behind the wheel.
Focus groups reveal that while many teens think it is unsafe and say they wouldn’t do it, others don’t believe it is dangerous. To avoid danger, some say they would have a passenger text for them, wait until they stopped at a light to text, or hold the phone up high while texting so they could keep their eyes on the road. This is probably another good topic to talk about with your teens.
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