The Dangers of Texting

        

 

 

Listed below is a report by CBS.  Dr. David Greenfield, a clinical psychologist and founder of Center for Internet Behavior talked to Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith about getting hooked on texting.  Pastoral Care, Inc. has had numerous calls from pastors who have fallen into the addiction of texting, some to the point of having inappropriate conversations and thoughts with church members.  Please do not ignore these "warning" signs and place balance in your life, marriage, and career.   There are more articles on Texting at the bottom of this page or click on Dangers of Texting and Cell Phones.

 

Here are some of the excerpts of that conversation on the CBS Early Show:

 

"We seem to be slaves to technology thses days.  We have our blackberries, our cell phones, and iPods."

 

"It's gotten so bad that, for some people, it's unhealthy obesssion", reports CBS News Correspondent Michelle Miller.

 

"Everywhere you look, there's a telephone, fingers are walking, thumbs are talking.  According to a recent study, 72% of cell phone owners send text messages--up to 7% from last year."

 

Too much texting has become what some doctors are calling an addiction.  "Anything that you can become obsessed with, and do so much that you don't do the things you need to do with family, friends, school, job--that can be an addiction.  And texting absolutely can qualify, " said Dr. Dale Archer, a clinical psychologist.

 

"So, my phone has like a 30 text limit and then I have to delete it.  I usually delete it like every two or three hours," one admitted.  Another admitted spending over 8 hours a day texting.

 

The average number of text messages a day is 100.  One teenager says, "I can't even count."

 

"Excessive texting has additional problems of lack of eating, isolation, and sleep deprivation."

 

"The problem is not limited to teens.  A google search revealed thousands of hits related to adults who have run into trouble while texting."

 

"A Chicago cop is suing the city for two years of overtime pay for the time spent on his blackberry after work.  A woman in Saten Island, N.Y. fell down an open manhole while texting and walking."

 

"All day long, from the minute I wake up until I shut it off at night and go to sleep, I'm on the phone constantly," asid Deanne Katsaros.

 

Deanne used her iPhone until the tendons connecting her thumb to her palm became so inflamed that she needed surgery and stiches to correct the problem.  

 

"With so many people being hooked, the question becomes, how do you unplug and still stay connected?"

 

Pastoral Care, Inc. has witnessed so many pastors who cannot carry conversations or conduct pastoral duties due to being tied down to texting.  Pastors have told us that it has affected their spiritual time, family times, and has created an addiction they never knew would ever happen to them. 

 

If you need help with knowing the boundaries and dangers of texting and using your cell phone, please revert to the section before this one on the dangers and call for professional help.  Pastoral Care, Inc. is here to assist you, even if you are a pastor.  Don't ignore the warnign signs! 

 

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