Text messaging is the new language of teens. But do you know what they’re saying?
At Oak Park High School, it is school policy that cell phones are to be turned off during class.
“In the past two weeks, in my outbox now, I’ve sent 3,000 (text messages),” one student told KMBC’s Kris Ketz.
“I have unlimited (texting), so last month it was 7,000,” a student said.
And then there is Andrew Corrao.
“And last month, I sent 11,263, I think,” Corrao told Ketz.
Texting messaging is nothing new. But in the last three years, cell phone companies have made it inexpensive, Ketz reported.
It is now the way teens talk to other teens.
“So if I’m saying something to someone and I’m joking, I’ll say, ‘JK’ or if I’m about to leave or go to the bathroom or something, I’ll say, ‘BRB’ or be right back,” Corrao said.
Ketz reported that a whole new language has developed with texting — a kind of shorthand.
There are abbreviations such as OMG (Oh my God,) PAW (parents are watching) and TMI (too much information).
But sometimes these codes show up in classroom work, and teachers notice.
“You see the number ’2′ instead of ‘to’ or ‘too’ or even ‘two,’” teacher Derek Noll said.
Teachers also watch for cheating by text message.
“For me, I make sure there’s nothing on the table when they’re doing it,” teacher Christina Gaebhart said.
Ketz reported that at Oak Park, like other schools, there is a use it and lose it policy. If students get caught using phones during class, teachers will take them away.
Duration : 0:3:15
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