For Teens, Has Texting Replaced Talking?

　　I've always known my kids use digital communications gear a lot. But my cellphone bill last month really grabbed my attention.

　　My son had racked up nearly 2,000 incoming text messages, and had sent nearly as many. That means he was having more than 60 two-way communications via text message every day. Of course, he was out of school for the summer and communicating more with friends from a distance. Nevertheless, I had to wonder how he found time to hold down a summer job and complete a college course in between all that typing with his thumb.

　　I was even more surprised to learn that my son is normal. Teenagers with cellphones each send and receive 2,272 text messages a month on average, Nielsen Mobile says.

　　Some experts lament that all that keyboard jabber is making our kids stupid unable to read nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, gestures, posture and other silent signals of mood and attitude. Unlike phones, text messaging doesn't even allow transmission of tone of voice or pauses, says Mark Bauerlein, author of a book called 'The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.'

　　States are cracking down on drivers who text, and rightly so. My son doesn't text while driving, and we have discussed the dangers. （This graphic public service announcement, which has recently gone viral on YouTube, highlights just how dangerous texting while driving can be.）