No such thing as safe text

Text messaging can damage your health, a mobile telephone company warned today.

Those most at risk of developing symptoms similar to repetitive strain injury (RSI) are "text addicts" who send messages to friends as a cheap and quick alternative to phone conversations.

One victim of the syndrome, 32-year-old clinical psychologist Louise Thompson, today said she has shooting pains in her arms and cramps in her fingers after texting her boyfriend 15 times a day for the last five months.

Speaking at the launch of a Virgin Mobile campaign How To Practise Safe Text, Ms Thompson, from Hackney, said: "It's very disabling. It can even hamper me doing little things like making a cup of tea."

More than 45 million text messages are sent every day in Britain.