Texting, online chats, and social networking sites are now staples in our way of communication.  One might argue it’s almost mandatory - especially for teens and pre-teens - to be connected in these ways to be socially accepted.

Critics of the growing world of texting say it’s making our kids dumber… blaming it on text-speak.  Let’s back up a bit with a very brief history on how text-speak emerged.  It started because you were limited to 160 characters per text message, with no ability to write a longer one and just get charged more.  So, to squeeze messages in, you’d have to shorten it by using “2″ instead of “too”… “da” instead of “the”… and it goes on and on.  Now, we’re not limited to 160 characters, but it’s sort of stuck with us.  And now, this shorthand method - which I’ll admit to doing from time to time - is just laziness.  And personally, I think it’s totally fine, as long as you own up to the fact that it’s laziness.

Back to the critics.  So, critics have been saying for awhile now that this text-speak is dumbing down kids’ language skills.  They say they’re seeing these short-hand words appear in hand-written essays.  That’s definitely a concern.  No schoolwork should include “l8r” or “omg”…  But one group is taking a different perspective.  The UK’s National Literacy Trust says their survey shows children who blog, text, or use social networking sites like Facebook are more confident in their writing skills.

They did a study including three thousand children aged nine to 16.  Among the kids that did not blog or use social networking sites, only 47 percent thought they had good writing skills.  On the other hand, 61 percent of bloggers and 56 percent of social networkers said the same.  The group says their research shows these technological forms of communication strengthen their core literary skills and make them more confident writers.

So, which is it?  Is texting good or bad for our kids?

You know what I think it is?  Context.  I think it’s all about teaching kids when the right levels of formality are appropriate.  It’s pretty much the same thing as teaching a child to distinguish the difference between ending a letter with “Sincerely” or “Hugs and Kisses”.  One would be appropriate for work, the other for family.  And for the sake of your career, you shouldn’t mix them up.

So, rather than trying to stop text-speak - which has become a cultural language in its own right - I say we guide our kids in the right direction to show them when to use what language when.