LDS Young Women and Texting in Class: Addressing Cell Phone Use and Abuse by Mormon Young Women

Young women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are good kids, but they aren't immune to the lure of modern technology. Sometimes LDS young women fall into a pattern of constant talking and texting on their cell phones, and it may not stop when they are in church.

For leaders and teachers dealing with LDS young women cell phone abuse in class, here are some suggestions and ideas to try.

Assign an LDS Young Woman to Teach a Lesson

Most teachers have had it happen before: they prepare a great lesson and then watch girls text all through class without participating or even paying attention. Leaders could indirectly curb LDS young women texting in class by simply having them teach a short lesson on Sunday or at mutual.

This gives the young woman teaching a glimpse of things through the teacher's eyes. She learns how difficult it is to teach and why teachers need class participation, and even may be more likely to put away her cell phone and try to contribute to future class discussions.

Model Bad Behavior During a Lesson

Basic as it may seem, some girls simply might not realize that texting throughout the lesson is disrespectful. Ahead of time, the teacher should arrange for other adults to call and text her repeatedly throughout her regular lesson.

Every time the phone rings, the teacher should interrupt the lesson to answer it and talk for a minute, even if it's not important. When a young woman answers a question, the teacher should begin texting on her phone without listening or responding to the girl's comment.

The girls may laugh at this exercise, but they'll also get the message that texting in class is disruptive, rude, and not conducive to the Spirit.

Latter-day Saint YW Leaders Should Seek Parental Support

If cell phones in church are a problem, one of the best LDS young women ideas is to talk to the parents of the young women involved. They may not be aware of the problem, and once it's brought to their attention they will probably discuss it with their daughter.

In the end, taking away an abused cell phone is not a leader's place. Look for parental support, and ask what they think the young women leaders of the ward can do to help.

Institute an LDS Young Women's Cell Phone Basket

Ideally, young women would voluntarily turn off their phones and sit through class without using them. But some leaders may not be dealing with an ideal situation. Texting is an addictive behavior, and it may be unrealistic to expect a young woman who is truly addicted to sit through an entire Sunday lesson with her cell phone in her lap.

Consider a Sunday cell phone basket to curb texting in church, or even during weeknight mutual activities. A girl who is texting through mutual deprives herself of the opportunity to make friends and have fun with friends at church.

Text messaging is convenient, but it sometimes leads to abuse and overuse of cell phones in LDS young women during church. Leaders and teachers can discuss some of these strategies, but should always keep in mind that the inspiration of the Holy Ghost is the best tool in deciding how to handle problems in each individual ward or branch.

The copyright of the article LDS Young Women and Texting in Class in Mormonism is owned by Jenny Evans. Permission to republish LDS Young Women and Texting in Class in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Nov 8, 2009 8:45 PM

Guest :

I completely disagree with your statement that taking away an abused cell phone is not a leader's place. I am a counselor in the YW presidency in my ward, and we agreed to implement a "no cell phone" rule for Sundays and Wednesday night activities. YW leaders have a responsibility to set standards of acceptable behavior and enforce those standards, which may include taking away a cell phone or other disruptive item. I also disagree with your comment that it is unrealistic to expect a young woman to curb her addictive behavior during a Sunday lesson. Should we allow smoke breaks during YW lessons for those who are addicted to tobacco because it's "unrealistic" to expect them to stop? Of course not. Texting during church meetings is simply unacceptable, whether they're addicted or not. We need to teach young women to have respect and reverence for their Sunday meetings.