Objective Text Messaging Rates Lack of Longitudinal Associations with Adolescents’ Reported Externalizing and Inattention Symptoms

Headlines inquire if ‘smartphones destroyed a generation?’, but empirical evidence is mixed. This poster examines the longitudinal associations between objective texting rates and externalizing and inattention symptoms. Adolescents who text more frequently report more externalizing symptoms, but there were no significant intra-individual (concurrent or lagged) associations over four years.