As we all know, the effect of social media has become more and more drastic as the years go by. And that goes for everyone and everything. But, the impact it’s had on teenagers/high school students is something we need to go into a bit more depth with.
A poll was sent out to the student body asking them some simple questions about social media, like when they first got it, if it has ever affected them, or how much screen time is “okay” for people their age. A common theme in their responses was that the amount of time spent on social media needs to be limited.
“Too much is unhealthy, but I do use it to communicate with some people,” senior Alex Black said.
“I think in a positive way it allows kids to be more connected with each other,” Civics teacher Dani Nichols said, “but in a negative way, I think it leads to a lot of information that kids don’t necessarily need to have access to at a younger age.”
Many teenagers use only social media to communicate with their friends, and maybe even family. But if we’re honest, that’s not the sole reason they tend to latch onto it.
Our brains take in large amounts of dopamine that are produced by social media and feel like a high, making it harder to resist.
“I think it’s also beneficial to limit your social media use as well because it can be addictive,” Nichols said.
So many teenagers’ days are consumed by their phones, endless scrolling instead of being with others and engaging in conversation.
“My kids will retreat to their rooms to doom scroll instead of interacting with the rest of the family,” math teacher Samantha Dale said.
But new generations have started to normalize the excessive amount of time people spend on social media. Is it really okay to be spending 3+ hours a day, mindlessly browsing the internet?
“The norm is too high,” sophomore Rhett Edlin said.
Our phones tend to really take over our lives. We get so invested in something on a screen and forget what life is really about. Which is living! Being too caught up in what social media has to say is not good for you in the long run and can definitely be a big part of bad mental health. Not only teenagers, but everyone in the world with social media needs to realize that life is too short to only be focused on the little things. Go out in the world and have fun.
“Social media shouldn’t take over time for other priorities.” Wise words from sophomore Addison White.
The more social media we take in, the more we think we’re connecting with the world. Yet, are we really only disconnecting from each other?
Let us know what you think in the comments.
