Teen phone use cutting into teen smoking?
Five years ago a British anti-smoking group named Action on Smoking noticed a possible correlation between the increase in teen phone ownership and the decrease of teen smoking. They hypothesized that smoking was starting to look like "old technology," and just not hip-cool enough for teens' time or money. Their study also noted that the mobile phone alleviates boredom and covers most of the social situations kids might otherwise light up. A more recent Japanese study agrees, saying that teen smoking rates have plummeted as phone ownership nears 100 percent. However, they're pretty sure limited allowances are mainly to blame -- with kids trying to weigh if that pack of "cancer sticks" is really worth sacrificing another J-pop related ringtone download. Decisions, decisions.
[Via textually.org]
