Young cellphone 'junkies'

"Multi-socializing will be a needed skill in tomorrow's economy," reports the Lansing State Journal, referring to teens' social multitasking. Multitasking is about juggling tasks. Teens do that too in the process, but the main activity is, in a way, "juggling people" in the sense of holding multiple one-on-one conversations simultaneously in instant-messaging while talking or texting on the phone and typing comments into a blog or social-networking site. The Journal cites a Michigan State professor as finding the skill admirable in some ways. Adults, who aren't used to this style of communication may wonder why, but it helps to observe how it's done, and experts find that there are positives and negatives to it, as with most ways of relating. "Teen cell phone relationships aren't necessarily shallow, experts say. They're just different. Sure, kids miss out on the non-verbal cues, but the length of the conversations can compensate for that," the Journal reports. Check out the article for some more insights - as well as a sidebar on some recommended rules for parents on teen cellphone use.