Text messaging, the communications phenomenon that has caught on in the United States in a big way, is sending mobile phone bills sky high. The Washington Post talked with sociologists and parents who said it is not unusual for teens to send thousands of text messages a month. At a rate of more than 10 cents per text message, the math can equal financial woes for parents who pay a teens cell phone bill.
Market research indicates those most likely to send text messages are between the ages of 13 and 24. The Post said many families have switched to unlimited text messaging plans or have left the teenager to foot the text messaging bill.
The reason the technology has exploded is because it gives teenagers distance from their parents, the experts said. They say text messaging can be done from anywhere, any time and often involves a large group, giving young people a sense of being part of something bigger.
Tech-savvy young people are finding ever more inventive ways to use text messages, and wireless communication companies are paying attention, introducing cellphones, such as the Sidekick 3, designed to simplify the process.
The Sidekick and the new Verizon Envy have full keyboards and are aimed at customers who send frequent text messages. In November, Sprint introduced the LG-150, its first phone with a dedicated key for text messaging. Similar to the key for a camera phone, the text message key allows a user to start a message at the press of a button, instead of having to scroll through a phone screen menu.
And the strife this text messaging popularity is causing with family phone bills is on display in a popular television commercial for AT&T Wireless to promote its new unlimited plan.
References:
For Texting Teens, an OMG Moment When the Phone Bill Arrives
Staying in Touch Only a Thumb Tap Away
