Texting

Anchor: Welcome back to Channel 7 News. Melanie Sampson brings us a special investigative report.


What’s happening out there could ruin your child’s future and while some families are preaching

abstinence, others have no idea what their kids are doing. Melanie?



Reporter: That’s right, Jim. The threat is real and the health ramifications are devastating. We spoke to

a few kids in the community.



Girl: I’ve been doing it for a few years now, like, all the time.



Boy: I do it every chance I get.



Reporter: What are these kids doing that has teachers and parents scrambling to gain control? Texting.

And the epidemic is worse than you can imagine.



Girl: At first, I only texted once or twice a day. But now, I’m up to like, 10 or 12 an hour.



Boy: My buddies and I see how many texts we can do in one day, ya know, to see who’s the manliest.



Reporter: It’s difficult for parents to catch kids in the act of texting because they’ve become so good at

it. We pulled this video from a school security camera that shows two students engaged in texting.



*Kids dropping large text books on each other’s hands.



Reporter: I talked to one student who texted with the Webster’s Third New Unabridged dictionary.

That book weighs 12 pounds! Some of these children will text with anything, Jim. Magazines,

pamphlets, maps, even napkins with writing on them. Not only that, but they’re texting from places like

public restrooms, dining halls, and yes Jim, even the classroom.



Anchor: Are school officials taking action to prevent kids from texting?



Reporter: Yes, Jim, they are. Administrators I’ve talked to said they’ve begun to expel kids that they

catch in the act of texting, but they’re very worried about what’s next.



Anchor: And what is that Melanie?



Reporter: Facebooking.



*Kids smashing another kid’s face with a big book.