Instant Messaging is becoming a new leisure activity for middle school and high school students. How big is it?
According to an AP-AOL poll,
- Nearly three-fourths of teens use instant messages more than email
- Over half of the teens send more than 25 IM messages a day.
- 10% of the teens send over 100 IM messages per day.
School Issue
Indirectly, this is becoming a problem in schools. Students have access to computers at school and instead of doing homework, they try to check messages, either e-mail or IM. Focus during homework time in the evening is constantly being fragmented by instant messaging. Even if homework is completed, the interruptions may have been massive, interrupting the student's train of thought.
Other Distractions
Instant messaging is not the only electronic distraction students face. Play Stations, e-mails, MySpace with predators lurking, telephone and television are constant distractions for students that keep them from putting school work as a priority. Some students proudly proclaim that MSN is their life after school.
Parents would be wise to have computers centrally located to monitor how much actual time is spend on the computer for educational purposes.
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2006 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
