Looking back at my teenage years now, I often laugh at what stressed me out then. I remember being stressed over finding a job so I could have enough money to buy the latest Pearl Jam or Nirvana album. I worried if Brenda and Kelly would reconcile and once again be BFFs and pretend to eat lunch together at the Peach Pit. (This was the original 90210, folks, old school.)
So what are kids stressed about now?
A recent article in The New York Times focused on the toll text messaging is having on teenagers. Here's an excerpt from the article:
They do it late at night when their parents are asleep. They do it in restaurants and while crossing busy streets. They do it in the classroom with their hands behind their back. They do it so much their thumbs hurt.
Spurred by the unlimited texting plans offered by carriers like AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company — almost 80 messages a day, more than double the average of a year earlier.
The phenomenon is beginning to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is leading to anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation. [Source: New York Times]
According to the article, the rise in texting is too recent for anyone to have any conclusive data on health effects. But one thing teens should be aware of, thumb pain!
From the article:
Texting may also be taking a toll on teenagers’ thumbs. Annie Wagner, 15, a ninth-grade honor student in Bethesda, Md., used to text on her tiny LG phone as fast as she typed on a regular keyboard. A few months ago, she noticed a painful cramping in her thumbs. (Lately, she has been using the iPhone she got for her 15th birthday, and she says texting is slower and less painful.) "
Peter W. Johnson, an associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington, said it was too early to tell whether this kind of stress is damaging. But he added, “Based on our experiences with computer users, we know intensive repetitive use of the upper extremities can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, so we have some reason to be concerned that too much texting could lead to temporary or permanent damage to the thumbs.”
Back in the day this same argument about kids and their crazy gadgets was had with video games. This was during the era of kids being diagnosed with Space-Invaders wrist and Pac Mans Elbow. Later on we had such afflictions as Atari Thumb, Nintendinitis, Nintendo Thumb, and Blackberry Thumb. Soon I'm sure we'll have some new tech-related ailment to join these ranks.
I'll talk to you all later, I have to put some tiger balm on my Wii Shoulder.
Images courtesy of Getty Images
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I am suffering from Wii hip dislocation. I was bowling last night & pulled something, I hurt from hip to ankle. On the bright side, I have lost a few pounds with my full contact wii play.
May 28, 2009 at 9:34 p.m.I liked Roxette as well. I liked several of their songs my favorite was Like Watercolors In The Rain
May 28, 2009 at 12:19 p.m.Pogo - As far as the Roxette album is concerned, all I can say is that I joined the Joyride. I did put my foot down and refused to fall into the Color Me Badd hype though. Points for that?
May 28, 2009 at 11:18 a.m.CJ - So sad to admit, but yes, he texts me even when sitting right next to me. Usually when he does that I just smack him on the back of the head and make him stop, totally ridiculous.
Roxette? Are you kidding me!
May 28, 2009 at 10:19 a.m.Texting is causing auto accidents. That worries me much more than sore thumbs.
May 28, 2009 at 6:39 a.m.CJ: That'll give 'em good reason for 'em to suck their thumbs in public :)
May 28, 2009 at 2:10 a.m.Thats better than Pearl Jam though... Pogo I get text messages from people when they are in the other room next to me, instead of just yelling out into the hallway.
May 27, 2009 at 4:17 p.m.pilot, crr - I wonder what would have happened to my grades if I had a cell phone when I was in high school. But more than likely my parents would have taken it away and handed me a tin can and string if my grades started to slip.
pogofire - Does he ever try to text you even if you are sitting right next to him?
mikespace - You think that is bad, you should see my old CD collection from back in the day. Roxette, anyone?
May 27, 2009 at 4:11 p.m.I broke my thumb and cut my index finger open and had video game withdrawls for a good while.
May 27, 2009 at 3:48 p.m.Pearl Jam! OMG, I'm so sorry... That you liked Pearl Jam!
May 27, 2009 at 3:46 p.m.Texting is definitely taking a toll on teens. My younger brother is a 18 and spends all of his time on that dang phone, not talking but texting. We could all be at my mom's house, having a family dinner, and he has no idea what's going on because he's on his phone the whole time. Mom lets him get away with anything so he just keeps on doing it, I think it's terribly rude! These kids have no social skills because they don't associate face to face, it's all done via machines!
May 27, 2009 at 3:39 p.m.Pilot,
May 27, 2009 at 11:06 a.m.You are so right. As a parent of teens I see first hand the kind of interference to production you are talking about. My kids don't have the texting ability but I do see their friends in action. If only they would put that much effort and energy into school.