Despite concerns that computers and cell phones are encroaching on more traditional writing activities, our research indicates that simply owning these technologies has little impact on writing engagement. Teen computer and cell phone owners are nearly identical to the overall teen population in terms of the types of writing they engage in, as well as the frequency with which they write for non-school reasons.
While cell phone owning teens are more likely than non-cell phone owners to do certain types of writing in the school environment (such as essays, science labs and presentations), this is most likely due to higher rates of cell phone ownership among older teens, and not a result of technology use per se.
