Kids on cell phones are more likely to step into
traffic, according to a new study. The results of the study, by the University
of Alabama, were published in the journal Pediatrics.
According to the study, one third of Americans between
the ages of 8 and 12 have a cell phone. By the end of next year, it's expected
that one half of "tweens" will carry one.
When I was 8 I could barely use a rotary telephone,
never mind a cell phone.
The study tracked 77 kids as they navigated a virtual
street crossing. The kids walked through the simulation 12 times, six with the
phone and six without. Kids talking on the phone were 43 percent more likely to
step into oncoming traffic.
According to David Schwebel, co-author of the study, the
results in the simulator are validated by real-world tests.
So should you take away your tween's phone? Not
according to Schwebel. Instead, just teach them to hang up the phone before
crossing the street.
Perhaps the parents can take a lesson from that as well…
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