Published: September 26, 2008 12:55 pm      

Texting replaces reading for some teens

DANVILLE — Members of her parents’ generation might have curled up under the sheets with a flashlight and a book when they didn’t want to go to bed.

And when she’s not quite ready to go to sleep, Kaley Kidwell commits a similar infraction, but she’s not reading: she’s communicating with friends.

The light under the covers this time is from a cell phone.

The North Ridge Middle School seventh-grader isn’t much different from her friends and peers, who say text messaging — and a variety of other electronic communication devices — are a big part of life for kids their age.

"I started texting when I was 7," Kidwell said.

She got her first cell phone when she wasn’t quite 10 years old and by the beginning of her seventh grade year, had already owned four cell phones.

"It’s sad, because my dad has only had two phones," she said.

Kidwell and Jaeya Lataye say texting and emailing can be a social necessity. The girls admit boys are a common topic of texting exchanges. Homework also can sneak into the shorthand talk once in a while, they say.

Kidwell and her fellow North Ridge students in sixth grade say it’s almost hard to not be in contact with friends.

Chase Norton said he couldn’t resist texting once in a while during summer vacation to see how his friends were doing.

Marissa Burleson said texting can serve practical purposes — like getting ahold of her mom after play practice.

The sixth-graders, including Durand Windom, Alexis Grundell and Kate Clark all say learning 21st century shorthand is a must.

Norton uses abbreviations because he thinks they’re funny, but others say it makes typing and texting a lot faster during multiple conversations online or on the phone.

The most common abbreviations for the group are LOL, which means laughing out loud; j/k for just kidding or L8R for "later."

Online or phone chats are also peppered with other phrases like OMG for “oh my God,” NTM for “not too much” or IDK for “I don’t know.”

The fast finger exercises may have replaced their parents’ time-honored method of communication: note-passing.

The sixth graders agreed that passing notes in class was more of a fourth and fifth grade thing — but not something they’re seeing as much in middle school.

When they’re not on their phones after school, they might be found in front of the family computer at home, playing games like Madden, King Kong, the Scary Maze Game or Frogger.

But online time is limited, the kids say. Once they’ve been on for a certain amount of time, their parents let them know when it’s time to do something else.

Of course, they may need some more time online if they’re doing homework, where sites like Yahoo or Google might kick-start a research assignment.

The kids give their nod to favorite just-for-fun Web sites like Craigslist.com and YouTube.

Despite their technology savvy, the kids say a good old-fashioned book can be entertaining.

"My family is full of book lovers," explained Grundell.

She likes mysteries and thrillers, while Norton likes series like Harry Potter and Windom likes reading about sports.

"It’s hard to put down a good book," Grundell said.

Seventh-grader Dean Fisher loves playing games online, but he also likes the "Aragon" trilogy and "Harry Potter."