Why do young people not answer texts?

Nathan

Nathan

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High Desert- Calif.
...some possible explanations, according to the Google AI search feature:

AI Overview
Young people often do not answer texts immediately due to digital fatigue, high levels of social anxiety, and a preference for "asynchronous" communication (replying when convenient) rather than instant interaction. This behavior is frequently driven by overwhelming notification loads, the need to manage mental energy, and a tendency to prioritize real-world tasks over digital demands.
Key reasons for non-response include:

Digital Fatigue & Overload: Constant notifications from numerous apps create fatigue, leading young people to ignore messages to manage their mental space.
Anxiety & Perfectionism: Many young people experience anxiety regarding texting and may take longer to craft the perfect reply, leading to delayed responses or avoidance.
Prioritizing Mental Energy: A "social battery" limit can make responding feel like a taxing task, particularly when they are overwhelmed with other tasks, notes.
Asynchronous Communication Habits: Younger generations often view texting as a convenient tool to be used at their own pace, not as a demanding, real-time conversation, as shown on Quora.
Passive Conflict Management: Not replying can be a way to avoid conflict, awkward conversations, or to signify a lack of interest without a direct confrontation, as discussed on Quora and reported in Psychology Today.
Forgetting or Involuntary Ghosting: Messages are often read, marked for answering later, and then forgotten, a phenomenon sometimes associated with ADHD
 
I think I am worse in not responding but like others have said ask a question to get a response. one child texts when they want to share a lot and since we are in way different time zones him in the UK and me on pacific time he texts continually while i am at work and do not always have time to respond like I would like.
 
hearlady said:
One of my daughters only answers if it requires an answer. Sometimes you text her and she doesn't respond with an "OK", " Got it", nothing. If I texted you and said, " It's a beautiful day. I hope you can get out some." Nothing. I realize that doesn't require an answer but wouldn't you respond?
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My husband's daughter does that to him. Sometimes my kids take awhile, but they always answer eventually. :ROFLMAO:
 
I don't think it is just young people or restricted to texts. I feel that it is now very common not to receive a replay from messages, emails or even telephone messages - despite it being clear that the receiver has read or heard the message. I think it has evolved from the use of mobile technology and the recognition that people are not always available to respond immediately.

I don't use a mobile phone and never have done. So, I still find this incredibly annoying and inconvenient.
 
Ah yes, this is a good one for my Son.
I understand that people may be busy or sleeping or whatever.
I really do not expect a reply right away.

What really annoys me is that I will be texing back and forth with my Son and I will text something,
then he just disappears!
Then I am sitting there wondering if he left or fell off his chair or what!
I guess he has left because he does not text back.
:LOL:
 
There are times when one just can't reply immediately. I may step outside with the dogs, go into another room for something, or don't hear the alert. I do try to keep my phone in my pocket but sometimes forget. Often enough, even with the phone in my pocket, I miss the ring/alert. Many reasons why a response isn't right away.
 
GoodEnuff said:
I am going to add this: Since when do we all have to be available at all times?
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I think that's my daughter's point. And she's correct. She is not a big phone person and its not at her side every minute. I'm not either really but I have dedicated sound notifications so I know who's texting me. I can hear it from another room. All other annoying notifications are off.
This is not a big issue. We all know she does not answer texts or phone calls right away. She is not the one to contact in an emergency.
She doesn't live alone anymore so I don't worry about it. At one time she did and was in a bad place so it was worrisome not to get a reply by text or phone. 😕
 
There are no young people I text with, so I've not experienced how they manage texts. Those in my age group acknowedge my texts at least with a thumbs up icon, or something similar. My bigger issue is those few people I know who never listen to any of their voicemails and freely admit it. If that's how they feel, they should contact their provider and request their voicemail be disabled so that their phone simply keeps ringing or a recording advises callers they have a voicemail that "has not been set up yet" or something similar.
 
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