textingNathen Lane's parents took away his cellphone privileges months ago, but fortunately for them, he retained his quick texting skills. Little did they know they'd need them when an alleged armed robber came into the Chicago smoothie shop where they were, stole the money from the register, locked 15-year-old Nathen, his 10-year-old sister, and their mother in the bathroom, then proceeded to shut the security gates on the shop and make aggressive and very sexual advances against the girl cashier.

Because of Nathen's quick-thinking and even faster texting, the convicted sex offender who burst into that shop didn't get what he came for.

In the bathroom, Nathen grabbed his mom's cell and texted their dad who was a block or so away, having left the smoothie joint to find a cup of decaf coffee. His mom wanted him to call Dad, but Nathen insisted on texting. He wrote: Don’t come robber in here call 911.

The robber came storming to the bathroom minutes later and asked if they'd called the cops and demanded they handed over their phones so he could check the call logs. Since no call was made, and since Nathen had smartly deleted the text right after he sent it, there was no evidence they'd called for help.

Thankfully, Dad knew Nathen wasn't the pranking type and called the police. They raided the smoothie shop 20 minutes later and arrested the perp -- he's being held on $1 million bail.

Nathen pretty much saved the day. Not only did he get the message to his dad, and fast, but he had the wherewithal to delete the text right away in case what happened, happened.

Now, all Nathen wants are his cell privileges restored. He makes a great point -- carrying a phone is, in fact, putting safety first. He and his family learned that the hard way when they were locked in bathroom, but I'm sure, like most parents out there, Nathen's mom and dad took the phone away for good reason.

But when a kid's got the I-saved-our-lives card in his back pocket, it might be hard to keep a phone from him.

Do you worry about your teen's safety when or if they don't carry a phone?