I hate when people text me and things like "ur" or "l8r" appear on the screen. But despite my dislike of this "shorthand" it is probably here to stay -- especially among teens. San Francisco launched a pilot program last month that aims to use the popularity of texting to get kids info on sex, STDs, pregnancy, and mental health issues.
Kids who send a text message to SexInfo are given codes for information they are seeking. A teen who types A1 because his condom broke will get this advice and clinic referral message: "u may b at risk 4 STDs+HIV women can also be prgnant UCSF teen clinic MWF 1-5 400 Parnassus; 353-2002. City Clinic 356 7th St 487-5500 MWF 8-3 TuTh 1-3."
A girl who thinks she's pregnant will be told: "it's ur choice what 2 do prgnancy testing+Emrgncy contraception up to 5 days aftr unprotected sex New Generations walkin WF 9-3:30; 502-8336;625 Portero."
Sounds like a pretty good idea to me.
