Boffins reckon translating the Queen's English into impenetrable jargon is actually a good mental workout.
Ars Technica reports on a study carried out by the University of Alberta, which concluded that slang text speak doesn't harm kids as long as they already have good spelling skills.
In fact, it goes as far to say the act of converting real words into text speak provides the brain with a good workout.
Professor Connie Varnhagen, who led the study, said: "Kids who are good spellers [academically] are good spellers in instant messaging... And kids who are poor spellers in English class are poor spellers in instant messaging."
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