Teen claims 303,398 iPhone texts in one month

You need a peculiar set of half-formed, skinny fingers to text on an iPhone.

And you need a peculiar set of strangely formed cranial connections to send and receive 303,398 texts on it in one month.

However, this is the claim of Crystal Wiski, a teen from Antelope in California's Sacramento County.

Her mother, Jackie, bought her the iPhone a month ago and young Crystal took to it like a duck to quacking.

Crystal told local NBC station KSBW: "I get cramps."

"I want to text like Crystal. I want to text like Crystal."

(Credit: CC BurgerMac/Flickr)

She then got the urge to explain the simplicity of her need to text so much: "I'm popular. I can't help it."

Well, indeed. I am sure that's how President Obama explains his attachment to his BlackBerry.

You might be saying to yourself at this point that no one can send seven texts a minute. Well, the fine folk at KSBW pointed their most excellent equipment in Crystal's direction and timed her. Those thumbs were made for talking. Rapid talking.

You might also be saying to yourself that Crystal must be a woeful student who is an awful drag on her mother's patience, time, sanity, and hairdresser.

Well, you might just need a crystal of whiskey or two when I tell you that she gets straight As, is about to graduate, and holds down a 40-hour-a-week job. (No, not at an Apple store. At McDonalds.)

What else can I tell you? Oh, yes, her mom invested in an unlimited texting plan.

[monkeyfun14]

I'm close to calling bs on this thats 6 texts a minute and thats not even factoring it sleeping.

[nomadsoul88]

well if you think of this like a mythbuster, its not so implausable. because what ppl fail to realise is that text messages are only 160 characters long, send a long email like "text message" and you will be able to send many in one go. Couple that with lots of friends (or phone numbers in your possession i should say), an unlimited amount of texts per month and fast fingers then its quite possible.

[demecles]

Second that, plus school and this full time job, it would not be possible, unless, she receives most of those texts (maybe she has a lot of text alerts and such)

[dude7895]

Fake.

[Slick1of2]

She needs a life.

[myles taylor]

She probably receives at least half. They said they timed her. I believe it easily. A lot of people (including myself) text while they work and I know a lot of people who text while they are in school.

[why do i need a name?]

if you send the same text to multiple people, it counts as that number of texts (SMS text messages are a 1:1 sender to receiver so the "system" counts each recipient as one) You can send thousands of texts a minute if you really want.


But in order to do this, you have to really be wanting to send a bunch of useless junk to thousands of people just to "make the number"

[ghostofitpast]

Exactly: her thumbs may be made for talking, but are they saying anything?

[Pete Bardo]

If she texts 24 hours a day, 10,000 msgs is one every 8.6 seconds. I can't even get my phone to dial a number in that much time. On the other hand, I imagine she has a bill from AT&T to back up her story.

[totocalimero]

Who cares? Seriously...

[Timmeh71]

Nice story... but I found one error... the local NBC station is KCRA, not KSBW, which is in the Salinas-Monterey- Santa Cruz market

[UsingUrBrainSinceUArent]

She's just honing the skills she needs to be another successful American teen mother.

Hope her parents don't have anything to do for the next 18 years. It'll give them another chance to raise a more useful human being.

[booby21]

LOL

[scatmasterdd]

You owe me a new monitor but so true.

[loose_screw]

If I was her parent I would take her phone and put a sledge hammer to it, so to speak.

I mean, are you freaking serious? This is something to be proud of? What has this world come to.

[AppleSuxLeo]

And how many cars did she rear end while texting ???

[stuohy1]

It does say "send and recieve" so that 8.6 second figure is probably more like 17 seconds...much more reasonable... :)

[ihatelag]

You clearly don't have an iPhone OR don't know how to send multiple people text messages from one text.

You can add groups of people on one text message and send it out. If for example you send a text message to your class friends, your single text with 30 people added will be sent out as 30 text messages. So in say one minute you have potentially sent out 30 text messages.

If you're popular and have friends in another classroom or maybe across the school (Im using the girl in the article as an example) you could have over 150 friends....so in one text you can potentially send 150 text messages.

So if you're skilled enough, you can send 3 text messages in a minute which can equate to around 450 text messages being sent out.... which is clearly more than 7 text messages a minute

ANYWAY....I still call BS on this article as the number seems quite high...

[Stefaninafla]

If I were that child's parent, that phone would be taken away so fast the kid wouldn't know what happened.

[biffhenerson]

Big deal. Why is this a new Olympic sport? Text messaging as an indicator of popularity? Perhaps its a indicator of mental illness but certainly not popularity. Lets put them on TV as a freak show and challenge other kids to beat their score. TV gets ratings. The cellular carriers make the money. Kids are stupid, but maybe it will keep them occupied so they have no time for sex and drugs... and school work... and excercise. Once again, parents are absent from their duties.

[RedGiant947]

Nice, way to generalize an entire population of people multiple times only based on extremes that you've seen in the media. Just because you never hear about normal kids doesn't mean they don't exist, in fact they're the vast majority. It's this intolerance and misunderstanding of younger people that makes me want to bang my head against the wall, but I won't stereotype all "older" people just because of one person.

On topic, I don't believe it for a second. Somebody seems full of themselves.

[biffhenerson]

Its is not my purpose, role or job to be tollerant of or understand any kid. They are just kids. It is my role to teach them and be a role model. It is their role to learn. Unfortunately most adults are abesnt from their duties as parents. They are neither role models nor teachers. They are their kids "friends". They are producing a worthless generation.

[Norseman]

Sad.

[Bitwise]

Maybe she should take a break to wash her face...and perhaps get a life?

[carpenterdon]

This is not possible, factor in sleep(at 7 hours a day this is 217 hours a month), working(40 hours a week?), School(7+ hours a day=35 hours a week) and lets not forget time doing other things when texting is not possible (eating, using bathroom, showering, etc.) and there is only 744 hours total in a month....

I just don't buy it.

[livingaudio]

Jeez, everybody that is saying to take her phone away just becuase she texts alot! Hello??? You cant blame technology for everything, she still gets A's and works, if she like texting and still gets her resposibilities taken care then its fine! If i was a parent i would rather her be addicted to texting then drugs or any other possible addictions. Anyone blaming technology is like the people who blame video games for Columbine or child violence....come on...we all love our tech toys which is why we even have sites like CNET! Which by the way i love:-)