Many parents worry about their teens' texting. They worry that they text too much, skip homework to text, or get bullied through texting. As a result, many parents take action. According to the Pew Research Center study, many parents limit how many texts a teen can send and receive. And many parents—more than 60%—say they read their teens’ texts.

This has caused a debate between teens and parents about texting. Teens say texts are private, and that parents should not read them. Almost half of teens say they discuss personal matters in their texts, which they do not want parents to see.

Is it okay for parents to limit texting, or to read texts? Click Parents' Limits on Cell Phone Use Graph (650.8 KB) to read the results of a study about how parents try to control their children's cell phone use.