How Texting Helps Teenagers
Texting may seem impersonal, but it may also give some benefits, especially for teenagers with problems.
Adapted from an article by Maia Szalavitz
TIME Magazine, August 2012
1. Many people are complaining about how texting and instant messaging may be harming children’s social and intellectual development. In the U.S., two thirds of teens use instant messaging services regularly, and a third of all teenagers use instant messaging at least once every day.
2. But a new study suggests that constant instant messaging, or IM'ing, and texting among teenagers, may also lead to benefits, particularly for those who are shy or introverted. Israeli researchers studied instant messages exchanged by 231 teens, aged 14 to 18. All of the participants used IM "regularly" or "all the time". The researchers analyzed 150 conversations in the study, and reported the results in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. In 100 of these chats, the teenager began IM’ing when they were in a negative emotional state such as sadness or anger. The rest were chats which began when the participant was feeling good or neutral. After the chat, the teenagers reported a 20% reduction in their bad feeling. Although 20% is not enough to completely stop the negative feeling, it is enough to leave them feeling better than they had before they texted another person.
3. According to the authors, these findings suggest that IM’ing between unhappy teenagers and their friends may give emotional relief and this is what makes them feel better. The authors also say that earlier research has shown that people who talked to a stranger either in real life or online improved their mood in both situations, but even more with IM. And people who talk with their real-life friends online also report feeling closer to them than those who just talk face-to-face. Thus, texting may make friends feel more connected than before.
4. Why is digital communication better than human contact? The reasons are complex, but one possibility is that users can control feelings like sadness and other emotions using IM, without revealing emotional elements like tears that may embarrass some people. Studies also show that when people write on a device like a mobile phone, they have a feeling of safety. This lets people feel more comfortable in sharing and discussing their deepest feelings. Earlier research showed that expressing yourself through writing can give a sense of relief— and knowing that your words are reaching a sympathetic friend may give even more comfort.
5. Researchers also found that introverted participants reported more relief from IM conversations when they were distressed than extraverts did. As Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, wrote recently for TIME magazine:
Introverts are often very thoughtful people, and care deeply for their friends, family and colleagues. However, such people sometimes want to avoid socializing with other people or talking on the phone. This is what the Internet offers: the chance to connect — but in small doses and hidden behind a screen.
When you’re blogging or tweeting, you don’t have to spend time on small talk before you get to main point. You have time to think before you speak. You can connect, one mind with another, without the distractions of face-to-face social interaction — just the way readers and writers have done for centuries.
6. For teens who are just learning to cope in a changing social world and establish new relationships, IM'ing may provide just the outlet they need for sharing feelings and connecting with peers without the embarrassment of exposed emotions. For parents, however, it’s worth remembering that the comfort comes with dangers as well, since online predators are eager to exploit this openness and prey on young texters’ vulnerability. Monitoring the friends and contacts the youngest teens are connecting with online can minimize the threat; as with any service, it’s a matter of balancing the benefits with the risks.