I'm not really texting. I'm checking my homework assignments. iStockphoto hide caption

Did an argument over texting in a darkened theater escalate? NPR hide caption

These days, pedestrians tapping away while walking are hard to miss. Andreas Tittelbach/iStockphoto hide caption

Texting and social media make romantic ties simultaneously easy to avoid and harder to shake. Ben Margot/AP hide caption

Doctors used a type of MRI test to look at the blood vessels in the brain of a woman with dystextia. The test confirmed she was suffering from a stroke on the right side of her brain Archives of Neurology hide caption

In the U.K.-based program called Txt2stop, researchers sent smokers encouraging text messages, like the one above, to help them quit. Karen Castillo Farfán/NPR hide caption

Are any of these students texting? Lisa Klumpp/iStockphoto.com hide caption

Austin Wierschke, left, of Rhinelander, Wis., and Kent Augustine, of Jamaica, N.Y., compete during the final round of the 2012 LG U.S. National Texting Championship on Wednesday, in New York. Wierschke won the championship for the second time in a row. Mary Altaffer/AP hide caption

A closeup from the 2007 competition. Stan Honda /AFP/Getty Images hide caption