Unit 4: Is all that texting making your child a bad student?

In order to understand if texting is making communication less formal, we need to look back in time and realize that there have been other forms of brief communication. Way back, there were telegrams, sent to inform people of events that were happening not only locally, but also around the world. These brief messages were a way to communicate, but often were limited in text because people paid by the letter. Therefore, modern day texting, often brief as well, is not necessarily a new form of communication and is not necessarily less formal than in the past; instead, this type of communication has been around for ages and should not be feared by the public.

In 2014, researchers wanted to find out if texting was leading to a decline in grammar skills. After completing a study, little evidence demonstrated that people’s grammar became worse when texting. In fact, more evidence showed that texting actually helped people with writing skills and fluency.

In conclusion, if you're a parent, you shouldn't worry about all those "lol" and "idk" messages you receive from your child. Instead, consider your child's affinity for texting and snapchat a way for them to practice their communication!