The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Text 'addict' on the mend

'gt wll sn'

Increase your knowledge of the latest threats to your busines

A 19-year-old lad from Scotland is being treated for e-addiction after blowing £4,500 on text messaging over the last 12 months.

The teenager, who hasn't been named, jacked in his office job after bosses discovered he also sent 8,000 emails in one month alone, reports the Beeb.

Concerned at the scale of the problem, public sector union Unison helped the guy receive help from Renfrewshire Council on Alcohol (RCA) Trust.

Believed to be Scotland's first "text and email addict", he has since managed to wean himself off email and has reduced the number of texts to such an extent that he now spends no more than £10 a week on SMS.

The teenager, who recently split from his girlfriend, told Auntie: "When you look at your mobile and you've got a message you wonder who it could be.

"It's kind of comforting when you get one. I like it, it's like a game of ping-pong, as you send one and get one back," he said. ®

See what The Register's experts have to say on application security

Don’t Miss

Win a Samsung C6625!

Reg Lucky Draw Windows Mobile handsets up for grabs

Palm_Pre_001_SMIs your cameraphone an oxymoron?

Pic Review iPhone 3G v iPhone 3GS v Palm Pre

Reg black vulture logoReg Mobile and Wireless newsletter is go! go! go!

Site news Email-tasm

Sign up, sign up for The Register IT security newsletter

Narrowcasting for the email classes