What are the risks of teen texting?
Teen texting can pose potentially serious physical and emotional risks. Talk to your teen about: • Texting while driving. Research suggests that distractions such as texting may be an even greater threat to teens than to other drivers. Peer influence also may play a role. The more passengers in the car, the more likely young drivers are to use cell phones while driving. Talk to your teen about the consequences of texting while driving. Monitor your teen’s driving behavior, and set clear rules and consequences — such as revoking driving privileges if your teen texts while driving. • Disrupted sleep. Many adolescents send and receive text messages after turning out their lights and going to bed, which can interfere with a good night’s sleep. Even moderate nighttime texting can greatly increase the risk of long-term fatigue. Consider keeping your teen’s cell phone out of his or her room at night. • Sexting. Sexting refers to sending a text message with sexually explicit content or a sexua
