Messaging remains the centerpiece of mobile teen behavior. The number of messages exchanged monthly (SMS and MMS) hit 3,417 per teen in Q3 2011, averaging seven messages per waking hour. Teen females are holding the messaging front, sending and receiving 3,952 messages per month versus 2,815 from males. Aside from messaging, data heavy activities such as mobile internet, social networking, email, app downloads, and app usage are the most popular mobile activities.
Teens are not focused on making calls via their mobile phones. Voice usage has declined the most among this group, from an average of 685 minutes to 572 minutes. When surveyed, the top three reasons teens said that they prefer messaging to calling was because it is faster (22 percent), easier (21 percent), and more fun (18 percent).
While texting isn't exactly an extreme sport, excessive indulgence with electronic gadgets shall definitely have a long term consequences. One such a consequence is tendinitis, according to the Journal of Family Practice. Similar to typing on a computer or completing the same motion over and over, tendinitis can cause pain, aching and throbbing in the wrist and in the thumb.
Overuse of the finger flexors may potentially result localized pain, most likely in the thumb, as it is the dominant digit used in text messaging. The resulting injury could lead to Repetitive strain injury (RSI). Tendonitis is a common result of overuse in texters which could manifest as trigger thumb or de Quervain's disease, which involves the two tendons that extend the thumb.
According to the Mayo Clinic., the Symptoms of de Quervain's tenosynovitis include: Pain near the base of the thumb, Swelling near the base of the thumb, Difficulty moving the thumb and wrist when doing activities that involve grasping or pinching and also A "sticking" or "stop-and-go" sensation in your thumb when trying to move it. If the condition goes too long without treatment, the pain may spread farther into the thumb, back into your forearm or both. Pinching, grasping and other movements of your thumb and wrist aggravate the pain. If the pain continues to interfere with your daily life or activities, seek medical advice.
According to www.stoptextsstopwrecks.org how could a person stop texting.., follow the “Out of Sight, Out of mind”rule. When driving a car or working on an assignment, put the phone where you can not reach it. So no phone, no texting. Downloading an app in the smart phone that can help stop texting. Silence is golden. Turn off alerts, that way less you hear phone less tempted to respond. Other alternative, the smartest one is “Borrow thumbs from a friend or lend your thumb to your friend”. This way if I am driving, co passenger could text while in motion.
In all, the best remedy is to stop the texting and do it when it is absolutely necessary and safe.
