Compulsive Texting Could Be Hurting Teen Girls' Grades

Some teen girls' compulsive texting can seriously hurt their grades, according to a new study, which involved more than 400 eighth- and 11th-graders from the same school district.

Published last week in the journal "Psychology of Popular Media Culture," the study found that some teens were losing sleep because they were staying up late to text or sometimes lied about texting to cover up how much they did it.

"Compulsive texting is more complex than frequency of texting," the study's co-author Kelly Lister-Landman said. "It involves trying and failing to cut back on texting, becoming defensive when challenged about the behavior, and feeling frustrated when one can't do it."

The study found that overall there is no a difference in the frequency of texting between boys and girls, however, girls generally experience a stronger need to remain in contact with peers, which contributes to compulsive checking and intrusive thoughts about their phones.

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