Monday, November 8, 2010

Teens, Texting, Cell Phones & Other Catastrophes

This is sponsored content from
BlogHer and LG Text Ed
Because I'm channeling my inner school teacher today, I'm going to start this post off with a little quiz. Then I'm going to ask your help with something. It's like being in biology class and then being asked to pound the chalkboard erasers.

First the quiz:

According to recent studies, 75% of kids from ages 12-17 own this:

A. Justin Bieber backpack
B. Spare key to parent's liquor cabinet
C. Cell phone
D. Combination Partridge Family/Brady Bunch Sand Painting Kit

If you guessed 'D' you're incorrect but I can tell you share my vision of utopia.

Obviously the answer if 'C.' Although, 'B' could also be correct, in which case parents – I suggest you conduct a thorough search of your kids Bieber backpack.

With all these tweens and teens owning cell phones, the topic of cell phone safety is a big issue right now: sexting, texting while driving and cyberbullying are all things we should be discussing with our kids. As part of my ongoing participation in the LG Text-Ed program, I'm going to be interviewing my daughters, ages 12 and 14, about their views on cell phone usage and safety. I'm going to require them to put down their cell phones while I interview them - that way they can't text things to their friends like, "omg my mom interviewing me so lame."

Now, here's where I need your help. Leave a comment below giving me a suggestion for a question to ask my teen and tween daughters regarding texting, sexting, texting while driving, cyberbullying or anything else relating to cell phone usage or online safety. 

(Sorry, but you'll have to save your questions on raves and Forever 21 deals for another time.)

But here's the best part: BlogHer will match LG’s donation of .50 to Dosomething.org for every comment on this post, so please leave a comment with a suggestion – Dosomething.org will get $1.00 for each and every one

So PLEASE – ask away. And don't be shy – unlike biology class you won't be graded.

You can see a roundup of other participating bloggers' posts on the BlogHer/LG Text-Ed page.

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6 comments:

Cinnia said...

If you had something extremely important/personal to share with a close friend HOW would you contact them and why that way?

In Person
on the phone
in a text message
combo of the 3

Shelly said...

Here's my question(s)

- How would you feel if you found out a good friend was sending racy pictures to a boy?

- Would you tell your parents?

Good luck SPM!

Barbara said...

Have you pulled over off the side of the road if you needed to text or call one of your friends? (The British PSA You Tube vid is scary version of what could happen when texting and driving.)

Barb

Jessica Fuselier said...

We ALL know that despite the dangers of texting while driving, a lot of people "Especially Teenagers" still do it. (Even I am guilty of it sometimes) My question is for your daughters (soon to be behind the wheel) and other driving teens: What do you think it would take for you to stop texting/checking email/dialing the phone WHILE driving? Money? A written contract w/ Parents? A pact between friends? Etc?
Thanks Marsha!

Gurukarm (@karma_musings) said...

"Would you ever send a racy or intimate picture of yourself to someone via text? If yes, how would you feel if they shared it with someone else - or many someone elses, including lots of people you do know, and lots of people you don't know?"

I have SO many feelings about this possibility. I hope your girls' answers would be "eewww, NO!" :-)

Anonymous said...

what would you do if someone start sexting you? gross question i know but there are people who have been caught and have been uspet over sexting.

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