What if my friends text me at night?
You’re in control
You may think you have to text back right away. You don’t. True friends will wait until morning for a response.
- What is fun about texting?
- Texting is the main way that many kids “talk” to one another these days. It may be hard to stop texting once you get started. Some kids say:
- “We are making plans for tomorrow.”
- “I have to ask her about my homework.”
- “I don’t want to be left out.”
- Can you relate? What’s hard for you? What could you do?
Get some ideas that have worked for other kids.
Be careful
- Kids who text a lot are more likely to have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep than friends who stop texting before bed.
- Some kids who text at bedtime or during the night have mood swings and trouble thinking during the day.
- Phones beeping or buzzing at night make it hard to sleep.
- Some messages may make you so happy or sad, you can’t get back to sleep. Has that happened to you?
- There is a new thing called sleep-texting. Have you heard of it? Some kids do so much texting during the day that they pick up their phones at night and send texts without even knowing it. They may be sending messages that make no sense or could cause trouble.
Take control
- Turn off your phone 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Keep your phone in a different room at night so you won’t be tempted to check it.
- Let your friends know you will not be texting them back if they send a text after a certain time. You could even make a pact that no one will text after a certain time.
- During the day, turn off your phone and enjoy other things. Less texting during the day can help you stop texting at night.
- Will any of these ideas work for me? What else could I do?
