Text Messaging

What do schools say?

For many schools, mobile phones are a pain. They cause problems in lessons and are a target for thieves. A school near Cambridge reported the first case of text- bullying earlier this year. Some schools ban mobile phones, others want the students to mute their phones during lessons.

What do teens say?

“My friends and I stay in touch and make all our plans by texting. You have to have a phone to have a good social life,” says Rachel, 15. “Nice teachers just ask you to turn the phone off. But some teachers are really strict. They might take your phone away,” says Luke, 16.

Can you read English text messages?

Text messages use short forms of words. For example, “U R L8” means “You are late!“, “PCM” means “Please call me”, “2day” means “today”, “BBFN” means “Bye bye for now”, “B4” means “before” and “Wan2go 2da cinema l8R 2nite?” means “Do you want to go to the cinema later tonight?”.

What do parents say?

“My kids spend a lot of time and money sending texts. But I think they are safer if they have a mobile. I do not want schools to ban mobiles,” said one parent.

Facts and Figures

People in Britain send more than 24 million text messages every day. People who are under 25 years old send most of those messages. 90% of British pupils under 16 have mobile phones. 96% of them use their phones to send text messages. Text messaging, or “texting” is cheaper and more private than making calls.