Teens learn the costly facts about text messaging when their parents get the bill

Teens learn the costly facts about text messaging when their parents
get the bill
By Melissa Dahl -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, January 6, 2006
Story appeared in Scene section, Page J1
Teenagers luv 2 txt, but a $500 phone bill won't exactly make their
parents LOL.

The first month she got her thumbs on her new cell phone, 13-year-old
Emily Wagner-Davis sent 5,448 text messages, a number she recites
without hesitation. Purchased a la carte at 10 cents a message, they
would have cost $550, but Emily's parents added unlimited text
messaging to her cell phone plan, for which she pays $7.50 a month.

"We have friends whose kids have $200, $300 bills with text
messaging," says Emily's mom, Mary Wagner-Davis of Roseville, who
realized that unlimited text messaging would save hundreds of dollars
after observing that Emily's friends and older sister used their cell
phones for "just as much, if not more, texting as talking."

Some of Emily's 5,448 text messages were sent to her friend Ashley
Wallace of Roseville, who also has an affection for text messaging.
Ashley's parents didn't initially purchase a plan for text messaging;
they figured 10 cents a message couldn't add up to much. But in the
first month, Ashley's chatty thumbs ran up a bill of more than $200.

"My husband and I figured out it was about 40 text messages a day,"
says Ashley's mom, Marlo Martin, who added 1,000 text messages to
Ashley's monthly cell phone plan. Ashley paid the $247 bill she'd
created in text messages and downloads, and her parents decided she
would pay for her cell phone each month.

Emily, who's in eighth grade at George Buljan Middle School in
Roseville, can't figure out how teens are supposed to survive with
plans that allow just a few hundred messages a month. "Some people
only have like so many text messages, and I'm like, how can you do
that?" wonders Emily.

It seems many Americans would agree with Emily's sentiments. In June
2005, wireless users sent 7.3 billion text messages - that's up 154
percent from June 2004, according to a survey by the Cellular
Telecommunications & Internet Association. As for teenagers, 64
percent of teens who own a cell phone have sent a text message,
according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

"Most teens that don't text yet just haven't," says Michael Wood, the
vice president of Teen Research Unlimited. "But when they're
introduced to it, they're in. It becomes part of their daily life."

Many parents of teenagers underestimate the need for a plan that
includes text messaging, which can make opening the monthly cell phone
bill a jaw-dropping experience.

"I suspect that parents get sticker shock from their bill because
they've got a plan based on how they use their phone vs. how their
teens use their phone," says Mark Donovan, vice president and senior
analyst for M:Metrics, a wireless industry analyst company. "Parents
and teens look at their phones as totally different instruments."

Donovan says most adults use their cell phone simply for the feature
for which it was originally intended - making phone calls. But
teenagers have quickly adopted the newer features, such as downloads,
photos and text messaging.

Many parents also have trouble decoding their monthly cell phone
bills. Jim Hood, a representative of ConsumerAffairs.com, says
shockingly high cell phone bills are often the result of the length
and confusing details of the bill.

"We do process an awful lot of complaints from consumers, and many of
them are really based on misunderstanding," says Hood, who admits that
he only glances at the cell phone bills for his teenage daughter
because the information is almost unintelligible. "I just give up on
it," he says.

When parents give their teen a cell phone, the fear of overage charges
causes many parents to say something like, "Here's your phone - don't
use it," says Peter Drozdoff, vice president of marketing for
Surewest. But parents with text-crazed teens have several options for
keeping the bills at a reasonable level.

Wireless industry analysts agree that parents should just assume that
their teenager is going to text - a lot. Most industry analysts
recommend adding unlimited text messaging to teenagers' plans.

"They don't want to have to be limited, they just want to use the
phone the way they want to use it, and that's a lot," Drozdoff says.

Another option is a prepaid phone plan, which eliminates any surprises
at the end of the month. "One of the things about prepaid phones is it
allows you to budget a little easier, 'cause once you've used all the
minutes, you're done," says John Breyault, a research associate for
Telecommunications Research and Action Center. He says the right kind
of plan will let teens feed their texting addiction at a reasonable
cost.

The teen obsession with texting, though, is something many parents
simply don't get. Why tap out all those words and abbreviations when
it's easier just to call someone?

"My husband and I are trying to figure that out," Martin says. "To us,
it would be easier to dial a number."

But to teens, texting is the best way to confirm plans or send a quick
note without the formalities of a conversation.

"When I don't really feel like talking to someone, I can just text
them, so I don't have to have a full conversation," says 19-year-old
senior Solomon Silva, who's home-schooled. "I don't really like to
take the time to call someone and talk to them for just hours. It's
easier to just text them and ask a question."

"It's straight to the point," agrees Cybil Bryant, who's 16 and a
junior at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento. "If you're
like leaving your house to go to someone's house, you can just text
them and say, 'Be there in 5.' "

Some teens rely on text messaging for tough conversations or
arguments, since sometimes "you don't have the guts to say things to
people upfront," Cybil says.

"If a guy asks you out on a date, it's easier for them to say that
than say it in person," says Cybil, who says it seems like most guys
ask girls out via text messages. "I got asked to like three
homecomings this year, and it was all through text messaging."

Text messaging gives you a chance to think about your response, which
Emily says can help when you're having a text-fight with your best
friend.

"You can write out your full thought (and) like think about what
you're saying," says Chaz Dougherty, who's 17 and a senior at
Christian Brothers High School.

Psychologists say teens' obsession with texting isn't surprising,
since this age group has always been known for its need for constant
communication.

"At that stage, kids are typically pulling away from their parents,
and in doing that, the people that become most important to them are
their peers," says Philadelphia-based family therapist Donna Tonrey.
"Years ago, you would hear parents talk about how they could never use
the phone when their teenagers were home, but now the phone is in
their pocket."

But text messaging puts conversations into different contexts, which
is changing how this generation communicates. Emily's dad, Steven
Wagner-Davis, has seen it from his rearview mirror. He says that as he
drives Emily and her friends around, they'll sit side by side, texting
other friends instead of talking to each other.

Since text messaging has increased in popularity, teens have become
accustomed to the idea that every one of their friends is available,
all the time. Emily's phone sometimes takes a minute to respond to
text messages, and she says her friends get anxious and send her texts
asking, "R U there?"

"It's all about immediate gratification, and this generation, because
of text messaging, is growing up believing that everyone is at their
beck and call," says Gilda Carle, a New York-based counselor for
teens. Carle worries that the trend will ultimately result in a
generation that's impatient and dependent on peers.

Despite these fears, teens think texting opens up paths of
communication that are perfect for a generation that's grown up
multitasking.

"Everyone likes everything to be quick nowadays," says 17-year-old
Stephan Higginbotham, a senior at Capital Christian High School in
Sacramento. "It's a fast way of doing things, and I think it fits
right in the age that we're in."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifest...14871961c.html

===
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