A text messaging generation.

What do the words PAW or LOL mean to you? If you know that the first translates to “Parents Are Watching” and the second to “Laughing Our Loud,” you probably have a text messaging kid. Texting is probably one of the most mainstream cell phone activities among young people and more than 73 percent of teens use it regularly. For many kids, text messaging is their main way to make and connect with friends. They use it to chat, gossip, make plans, get help on homework, tell jokes, complain, make dates, and break up.

Recently, a 14-year old girl with a 500 text messages a day texting habit won $50,000 at a texting competition spearheaded by cell phone company L.G. While most kids won’t win a prize like this for their thumb dexterity, texting is certainly a major mode of communication for kids today.

‘Sexting’

Sending a text containing a nude or sexually explicit photo (sexting) is a surprisingly common practice among young people. It’s important for young people to know that these texts could be sent around the world in a minute, causing real harm and possibly even breaking the law. Recent data shows that 1 in 5 youth ‘sext’ despite the risks. While some argue that ‘sexting’ is a modern day variation of “spin the bottle or doctor,” it is important to recognize that in a media-saturated world where the lines between public and private are blurred, ‘sexting’ can have serious long term consequences for teens.

Five tips for parents about teens and ‘sexting’

1. Make sure your teen understands that she/he loses all control of messages or photos once they hit the send button.
   
   
2. Remind your teen that potential employers or college admissions officers could end up seeing sexting messages or photos.
   
   
3. Be clear with your teen that your ground rules for Internet behavior do not permit sexting.
   
   
4. Be clear that there are consequence for sexting - possibly loss of cellphone for a period of time.
   
   
5. Use cell phone incidents as an opportunity to communicate with your teen about healthy sexuality and relationships.