Teen texting: Three health dangers of texting – is your teen at risk?

Posted on 6 March 2020

Teenagers text. Constantly. But is it hurting their health? We identify three health dangers of texting to help you determine whether your teen is at risk.

Texting is an easy, inexpensive and instant form of communication. These conveniences make them an essential part of your teenager’s life. But spending so much time glued to a small screen does bring its share of health risks. Here’s how to help your child navigate the danger.

 

Texting at night

Growing children need sleep. How much? It varies, explains Dr Kevin Rosman, a neurologist at Mediclinic Morningside and Morningside Sleep Centre. “The number of hours of sleep that we require is dependent on the sleep needs we inherit from our parents, as well as our age,” he says. “A teenager may need between 8½ and 9½ hours a day, and a young adult about 7 ½ hours.”

Staying up late to text with friends can disrupt a teen’s sleep dramatically, with negative effects. “Sleep is one of the cornerstones of your health and is as vital to our wellbeing as food and water,” says Dr Irshaad Ebrahim, a specialist neuropsychiatrist at the Constantia Sleep Centre at Mediclinic Constantiaberg. “During sleep, your body works to repair and support itself. Sleep helps with healthy brain function, and it works to maintain your physical health by healing and repairing heart and blood vessels.”

 

Texting while driving

According to the International Transport Forum’s (ITF) Road Safety Annual Report, South Africa has one of the highest road crash rates in the world – and being distracted by your passengers, or using your cellphone while driving, are the top two culprits when it comes to the cause of collisions.

Teens who have recently learnt to drive are prone to overconfidence behind the wheel. The act of typing and sending a message on your cell phone requires your eyes, mind and hands all to be engaged. By texting behind the wheel you are not watching the road, not fully focused on the act of driving, and not in position to adjust the wheel at a split second’s notice if needs be.

Every time you climb behind the wheel of a vehicle, you need to act with extreme caution and be 100% alert, advises Philip Turner, ER24 Western Cape Support Services. “Remember, if you’re travelling at a speed of 86km/h, you’re covering 24 metres of road every second. Even if you’re only distracted for ten seconds, you’ve covered almost 250 metres without focusing on the road.”

 

Texting and bullying

Texting might offer teens a way to communicate more freely with their peers, but it is important to remember that not all of that communication is positive, says Charon Streit, a counselling psychologist at Mediclinic Gariep and Mediclinic Kimberley.

Shy children might benefit from hiding behind a screen, she says, but virtual communication also makes it easier for an immature or spiteful comment to be broadcast in the digital space. The consequences can be damaging. “Parents used to want to protect their children against the world ‘out there’; today you need to do that with the world ‘in here’. Talk to them openly about it. Equip them with the knowledge and tools to prevent virtual incidents from happening.”