Mobile phone maker LG has run a survey about SMS that it calls the “Text Ed Survey“. It’s designed to give parents a better idea of what it is that teenagers actually use their texts for. And it has turned up some surprising results about the parents as well!
What’s the story?
Conducted in the USA, the survey was intended to target teens between 13 and 17. But it also asked questions of those teens parents. Overall more than 1,000 teens were surveyed, as well as their parents. Before we get into the details of what was revealed, I would like to reveal the two most salient points in brief:
- Nobody’s innocent: both parents and teens “misuse” texting – ie, sexting, texting while driving, etc.
- Parents are somewhat naive about how their children use their phones.
The details:
What the parents think:
- 75% consider themselves “texters”
- 86% of “textures” use SMS to communicate with their children – with 90% claiming texts have brought them closer to their teens.
- 53% consider themselves “very informed” about how their teens use their phones
- 96% believe their teens DO NOT text and drive
- 90% believe their teens DO NOT sent abusive or insulting texts
- 89% believe their teens DO NOT send sexually explicit texts (“sexts”, if you must)
- 92% believe their teens HAVE NEVER checked someone else’s texts without their knowledge
The reality:
- 45% of teens admit to texting and driving
- 43% admit to abusive or “put down” texts
- 41% admit to sexting
- 52% have checked someone else’s texts without their knowledge
Ok, so teenagers aren’t angels. But let’s have a look at some parental behavior when it comes to SMS:
- Almost 50% admitted to texting and driving
- 28% have engaged in sexting
LGs research also suggests that communicating by text can actually help bring a family closer together
- 42% of parents said that using SMS has increased how often they communicate with their kids
- 58% of teens said being able to text their parents made the feel closer
For more facts, go to the LG Text Ed website
What we think?
Last time I commented on how parents and teens interact by mobile, I got a host of responses from angry parents biting my head off. So I’ll just say this: if you do have a teenager with a mobile phone, try to bear in mind that their usage of it will not be innocent. But also remember that you’re probably not innocent either – and you certainly weren’t when you were their age.
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I like this article – I like how Cian ended it too
Parents shouldn’t be so blind, and be in denial all the time. (I mean this to the stereotypical parents – I don’t mean to offend!) Teens do misuse their phones, there is no point denying it – I found it amusing that the parents themselves have done it as well, and kind of ironic! But then again, parents don’t really know what their teens are like, really, only what the teens want them to think. Well thats my view. Thanks for the percentages, they’re useful in my school project 