A bill in New York would allow police to examine drivers' phones to see whether they were using the device at the time of an accident. Getty Images/Image Source hide caption

Should texting be allowed at some movie screenings? Brand New Images/Getty Images hide caption

Texting gentle reminders on heart-healthy habits helped people make real changes. iStockphoto hide caption

Good thing that coat is coffee-colored. iStockphoto hide caption

SwiftKey analyzed more than a billion pieces of emoji data, organized by language and country. The poop emoji was most popular in Canada. Unicode/Apple hide caption

Most teenagers with mental health problems don't get any help. iStockphoto hide caption

Hey, I'm not texting. Surely this is safe. iStockphoto hide caption

Science says she really doesn't it like it when you do that. LouLou & Tummie/ImageZoo/Corbis hide caption

Next year, emoji characters will reflect a wider diversity of races. Unicode Consortium hide caption

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Red Cross sent text messages across the country with health tips, locations of aid and safety reminders. A similar system is being used in Sierra Leone to combat Ebola. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies hide caption

A Muslim shopkeeper uses a mobile phone in front of his shop in the PK5 district of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, on April 30. The nation, which struggles with conflict between Christian and Muslim militias, banned texting on Monday. Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

There was a time when teens would spend hours on the phone gabbing with friends. Now, that's the stodgiest behavior imaginable. iStockphoto hide caption

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