Hyper-texting linked to risky behaviour

Excessive texting among teens - dubbed "hyper-texting" by researchers and defined as texting more than 120 messages per school day - is linked to a higher occurrence of behaviours such as smoking, drinking, fighting and sexual relationships, according to a Canadian study.

Researchers surveyed more than 4,200 students at 20 public high schools last year and found that hyper-texting was reported by 19.8 per cent of teens.

Dr Scott Frank, lead researcher, said parents should be aware of the issues linked to texting.