Selected news stories about the Pew Internet Project and articles citing our data.
TXTING: Teens are MFI
9/25/2005 | 
Coverage
Katie Reetz , Greensboro News and Record
'"Got something to say? Better pull out your cell phone; pencil and paper just don't cut it anymore.
At least, that's the case for many teenagers.
Text messaging is the new language of choice, and typing on cell phones is rapidly replacing notes scrawled on the backs of geometry tests.
"It's addicting," says Katherine Lane, a Grimsley High School junior who sends and receives about 90 texts a day. "And it's easier than just calling and talking to a person for like five seconds."
Like instant messaging and TiVo, texting started as a plaything for the young, but American adults are increasingly tapping into the habit.
In December 2004, 2.6 billion text messages were sent in the United States, a 61 percent increase from June 2004, says Erin McGee, spokeswoman for telecommunications company CTIA.
About one-third of American teens have sent a text message, says Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist with the Pew Institute and American Life Project.
Lenhart expects that number to climb as cellular plans become more affordable and as more teens watch their friends text.
"Text messaging is popular for two reasons: It's mobile, and it's quiet," says Lenhart, who recently published a report on the technological habits of teenagers.
"Unlike a phone call or an IM, you can send a text when you don't want to disturb the other person, and they can get back to you at their convenience," she says.
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