Does texting positively or negatively affect literacy skills?

Obviously, texting does nothing to improve literacy skills.

I also agree that texting does nothing to improve literacy skills, but then neither does the "Phonics" systems many grade schools use to teach children these days. Both of my children are great readers, but ask them to spell something and they spell exactly the way it sounds which is not necessarily the correct way. Furthermore, their schools actually encourage phonics spelling when writing in journals and essays. They will grade only on content and complete sentences and completely ignore spelling until about the fifth or sixth grade. The only time they're concerned with spelling is for that weeks spelling lesson and only the words on that weeks list and the test. When I went to school proper spelling was expected in all grades in everything we wrote and practiced daily. They can still earn an "A", but I feel the teacher should correct the spelling in red pen so that the child can see the correct spelling. Instead of getting an "A" and seeing all the words spelled incorrectly and still thinking they are spelled correctly. Of course, this is just my opinion and is not intended to start any heated debates with any educators out there that may not agree with me.