Young people almost never talk on the phone anymore. Compared to those of the same age 30 years ago, they hang out together in person much less. What they do – and do a lot of – is communicate via text and social media. And this fact creates some challenges for the emergency services.
It’s not just young people, of course. Almost everyone with a cell phone is spending time texting and engaging in social media to some degree. The difference is that older people have more experience with other forms of communication, too. For young people, virtual connection is so prevalent that they may feel uncomfortable with face-to-face communication. The inability to communicate well in person is a problem for the emergency services.