Keep Kids Drug Free

Texting and Risky Behaviors

Teens who send more than 120 texts a day are more likely to have had sex or used alcohol or illegal drugs than peers who text less, according to a study conducted at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. These "hyper-texters" were also more likely to get into physical fights, binge drink and misuse prescription drugs.

Despite the suggestive findings, researchers are quick to stress that they do not show that texting causes risky behavior, the Associated Press reports. Rather it may have more to do with peer pressure and lack of parental oversight.

In the survey of 4,200 Cleveland-area high school students, 20% were designated as hyper-texters; about 11% were considered hyper-networkers, who reported spending three or more hours per day on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. About 4% of students both hyper-texted and hyper-networked.

Hyper-texting and hyper-networking kids may share characteristics, such as being particularly social, impulsive and susceptible to peer pressure — which could underlie their riskier behaviors — but more studies are needed to better understand the link.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/11/09/study-hyper-texters-are-more-likely-to-try-drugs-have-sex/#ixzz14sX1qom1