( CNN ) -- All that texting and social networking by teenagers could come back to byte them . A new study by the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine links poor health behaviors -- including smoking , drinking and sexual activity -- to hypertexting and hypernetworking . The study defines hypertexting as sending more than 120 messages per school day . Hypernetworking is spending more than three hours per school day on social network sites like Facebook , it said . `` The startling results of this study suggest that when left unchecked texting and other widely popular methods of staying connected can have dangerous health effects on teenagers , '' said Scott Frank , lead researcher on the study . `` This should be a wake-up call for parents to not only help their children stay safe by not texting and driving , but by discouraging excessive use of the cell phone or social websites in general . '' Teenagers are `` spending really an excessive amount of time online , '' he added later during a CNN interview . By doing so , they are contributing to `` high-tech peer pressure . '' Hypertexting was reported by nearly 20 percent of the Midwestern teens surveyed , according to the study . According to the study , teens who are hypertexters are : . -- two times more likely to have tried alcohol . -- nearly 3.5 times more likely to have had sex . -- 40 percent more likely to have tried cigarettes . -- 41 percent more likely to have used illicit drugs . -- 43 percent more likely to be binge drinkers . -- 55 percent more likely to have been in a physical fight . -- 90 percent more likely to report four or more sexual partners . Hypernetworking was less pervasive , at 11.5 percent , but still associated with a similar list of maladies , the study found . According to the research , these teens are : . -- 60 percent more likely to report four or more sexual partners . -- 62 percent more likely to have tried cigarettes . -- 69 percent more likely to be binge drinkers . -- 69 percent more likely to have had sex . -- 79 percent more likely to have tried alcohol . -- 84 percent more likely to have used illicit drugs . -- 94 percent more likely to have been in a physical fight . Frank noted that minorities , children of parents with less education , and teenagers from homes without a father are more likely to engage in hypertexting and hypernetworking . He also cautioned , however , that the study `` does not demonstrate cause and effect . '' `` We are not saying texting causes these behaviors , '' he stressed . `` We can recognize that these kinds of connections ... may be facilitating or enabling these kinds of behaviors , but we certainly ca n't think of ( the online connections ) as causing them . '' Nevertheless , researchers say the results of the study are so striking that they are giving rise to a new health risk category for the age group . The study is not the first time texting and social networking have come under fire . The activities have been blamed for accidents and promoting bad grammar skills . In January , federal safety regulators proposed a set of guidelines for states to create laws that would ban text messaging while driving . Under the proposed guidelines , drivers caught typing on a handheld device while behind the wheel would face a minimum fine of $ 75 and unspecified action against their driving privileges . In cases resulting in serious injury or death , a driving while texting offense could be considered a felony . A ban on texting behind the wheel has already been enacted in 19 states and the District of Columbia . Seven states have banned the use of all handheld devices while driving . And educators have long decried electronic forms of communication for gutting written language skills in students , starting with e-mails , expanding to instant messaging and continuing with text messaging and social networking . But it should be noted that teachers also complained about poor grammar before the internet came to be . CNN 's Alan Silverleib contributed to this report .
NEW : Study 's top researcher cautions there is no proof of cause and effect . More than 120 messages a day qualifies as hypertexting . Comment: