Are great minds of the future being dumbed down by text messaging?

It seems like every few months some doom and gloom study is published decrying the state of decay being suffered by the brains of today's youth. I always thought such reports were a bit ridiculous, especially since I remember them coming out when I was a kid and I think I turned out reasonably intelligent. There are always kids who, for various reasons, excel and those who, for various reasons, lag behind.

However, when I read claims that the abundance of text messaging employed by Irish youth (and by extension kids all over who have cell phones) is destroying their ability to form complex thoughts and ideas, it made me wonder. The choppy sentences and shorted words (Hey QT, how R U 2day? Wanna meet L8R?) I've seen thrown all over Myspace and Facebook make me think that maybe there is some substance to this study.

Kids seem to be given cell phones at younger and younger ages. If texting has become the writing medium that they are most familiar with, perhaps it is possible that they won't learn to write or express complete and intelligent thoughts. What do you think? Is it all much ado about nothing or R we doomed 2 future leaders who can't put a proper sentence together cuz they spent their youth writing in txt-speak?