Everyone uses some form of social media nowadays. Youtube, Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, Discord, TikTok, you name it. We’re all interconnected in some way through the internet. What happens then, when there’s an unhealthy relationship with it? The Mayo Clinic says social media will “[distract teens], [disrupt] their sleep, and [expose] them to bullying, rumor spreading, [and] unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure.” This is a major problem for high school students, who juggle with many different things. Because of the decreased amount of sleep, they’re eventually afflicted with, “depression, memory loss, and poor academic performance,” according to the McLean Hospital.
What would the solution be then to help these students? The most obvious solution that comes to mind is to ban social media while at school, but that won’t stop them from browsing their phones during school hours or at home. It’s just not feasible. The next best thing to do would be to introduce methods to help students reduce their time on social media. Some tips that the American Psychiatric Association recommends to “track your time” and log hours spent on social media, “turn off notifications” to minimize distractions, “temporarily (or permanently) downsize your social media use,” to “work with a partner” to hold yourself accountable, “set aside a specific time” to use social media, “set offline times” where you don’t use social media at all, and to “take a temporary break” from social media.
These solutions to social media dangers are good, but nothing is more effective than preventing something from happening compared to treating it. More awareness needs to be raised about social media, its dangers, and what you can do to help curb its harmful effects.
