Text

What do I need to know about texting?

Text messaging, or texting, is the exchange of brief written messages via mobile phones (Source: Wikipedia). These kind of text-based messages are sent using Short Message Service (SMS) whereas messages containing images, video and sound are sent via Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

Individuals text each other and some businesses use text messages to inform people about their products and services and encourage interaction (eg voting in a competition).

Texting has really taken off as a convenient way of staying in touch over the past decade.

Young people in particular love to text as they can do it from anywhere and at any time – at home, in the car, on the bus, in a shop, at a friend’s. Plus, they know how much each text message will cost or they might take advantage of free texts as part of their monthly packages.

Because mobile keypads are very small and people want to be able to send texts quickly and use the 160 characters most efficiently, a whole new shorthand text language has even sprung up.

Did you know?

According to the Mobile Data Association almost 97 billion text messages were sent in the UK in 2009 – that’s 11 million an hour. 4.5 million picture messages (MMS) were sent on Christmas Day alone

Texting has many benefits, such as helping your family to stay in touch when you’re out and about, but you and your kids also need to be aware of some potential downsides:

  • Your child might receive texts from strangers or people they know that upset or annoy them… or they might send inappropriate texts to other people
  • They might be sent unsolicited texts by companies selling products and services
  • They might run up large bills on their phone if they text a premium rate service (such as a competition hotline) or text from abroad
  • You might be concerned about the effects of using a mobile on your child’s health or the possibility of their mobile being stolen or them being involved in an accident whilst using it
  • They might break school rules by using their mobile during school time or even try to cheat in a school test by texting for help

What can I do about texting?

Where can I go for more information and support about texting?

  • You can find advice about mobile safety on the Childline website
  • Visit the Text.It website, run by the Mobile Data Association, for information about picture messaging, text messaging and mobile internet

How old are your kids?

What you need to know to get started

  • 5-7 years old

    Technology is part of your child's life before they start primary school. They're probably using the computer, the internet and interactive TV for fun - watching programmes on the CBeebies channel and website or taking part in the Club Penguin chat rooms...but they still need adult guidance and supervision.

    Read more

  • 8-11 years old

    If you have 8-11 year old children, your house is probably full of technology - PlayStation, Nintendo, iPod...the list goes on. In fact, research shows that 8-11 year olds in the UK have an average of four media devices in their bedroom.

    This is a crucial age for young people to embrace new technologies and develop their ICT skills both at home and at school...and it's a crucial time for you to take control when they start exploring the digital world as well as the real world.

    Read more

  • 12-14 years old

    They're at secondary school and growing up fast. It's a time of change and their digital world might seem as important as the real world to them. They might spend their evenings on Bebo, Facebook or MySpace ; watching videos on YouTube and uploading their own for others to watch; or doing research for their homework.

    You want to encourage their technology and social skills, of course, so it's useful to understand what they're doing with technology and to get involved with it.

    Read more

  • 15+ years old

    Once your children are teenagers, it might be tempting to think that they're tech-savvy and dealing with everything the virtual world can throw at them. You probably watch in awe as they switch from chatting with friends on Facebook to updating their Twitter profile; playing against someone on the other side of the world on their games console to downloading music on their mobile.

    It's all great fun but, as they get older, the things you need to help them to cope with in their digital world are ever more challenging. Far from leaving them to it, you really need to keep communicating with them.

    Read more

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