He's not quite lumping it in with the Black Plague, but Dr. Scott Frank, a researcher at Case Western Reserve's Public Health program, equates hyper-texting with greatly increased health risks among teenagers. Hyper-texting, defined as texting more than 120 messages per day, leads to:
- 40% increase in cigarette use
- 100% increase in alcohol use
- 43% increase in the likelihood of binge drinking
- 55% more likely to have been in a physical fight
- 90% more likely to have had four or more sexual partners
“The startling results of this study suggest that when left unchecked texting and other widely popular methods of staying connected can have dangerous health effects on teenagers," said Frank.
“This should be a wake-up call for parents to not only help their children stay safe by not texting and driving, but by discouraging excessive use of the cellphone or social websites in general."
He says 19.8% of teens surveyed fit the description of a hyper-texter.