Are texts the writing on the wall for the young?

From: John Watson, Hutton Hill, Leyburn.

Having heard on the news that the average being in this country sends 200 texts per month makes me wonder whether they have lost the art of conversation.

Reports coming in from around the world from eminent clinical psychiatrists seem to suggest that our obsession with electronic gadgets is leading to all sorts of psychological disorders such as a feeling of isolation and withdrawal in young people and often leading to a breakdown in relationships.

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At my age I seem to spend more time in waiting rooms and the like and it is interesting to watch how people behave especially the young ones. The texting “syndrome” is becoming endemic. Wherever you look the teenagers are glued to their phones going through this ritual and in most cases their manners are appalling in such a scenario. I feel for them in a way because they are abandoning some aspects of human behaviour that have stood us in good stead over the years and divided us from the apes. Conversation between teenagers today has become non-existent and the growth in bad manners is becoming a serious concern.

I am no psychologist,neither am I a spoilsport nor a Luddite,after all I have grandchildren of my own and I have their welfare at heart. I wouldn’t like to be without my computer for obvious reasons but I am not tied to Facebook or Twitter, nor has my small amount of texting become a habit, and I get along fine.

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