Every morning, as soon as I wake up, I do not get out of bed straight away — I check my phone. My alarm goes off and I immediately grab my phone to check Snapchat or TikTok. Although I say it will just take a “minute,” I somehow end up in a rabbit hole and lose track of time. Once I finally fall out of the trance, I am rushing because I left little to no time to get ready. However, this is not an original experience because many people, of all ages, fall victim to this bad habit.
At school, social media is a part of everything. The topic of discussion always involves some time of video or post that somebody saw the night before. It is almost like if you did not see the post, you are not in the loop. Even conversations in real life begin online now. Someone will mention a post and ask if anyone saw it yet, and suddenly everyone is in on the discussion. It can make it interesting this way, but sometimes it just adds more drama than needed.
Nowadays, class becomes really hard to focus on. Some teachers make students put their phones in a basket, but not all of them. Sometimes my phone will just be in my backpack, but I am still thinking about checking it. It is always a thought in my mind of who texted me or what TikToks I might be missing out on. It is not that I do not care about my classes or grades; it is just that my attention is so split.
When lunch time rolls around, our screen time is not any better. Friends are gathered together to eat and take a break from learning, but everyone is just glued to their phones. Here and there a funny video will be shown and the table will laugh, but most moments are just silent. It is very sad if you think about it — everyone is together, but nobody is talking.
When school ends, screen time just boosts even more. As soon as it is time to do my homework, I tell myself I will get it done and be productive. But of course, I get sucked in to TikTok loops and doom scroll until so much time has passed that I have no motivation to get anything done. I send a couple texts, watch a few videos, and just like that it is time for me to go to sleep. This leads me to stress out about getting work done and worry. Social media is so addictive that it seems like it makes time disappear.
On the other hand, social media is not always negative. It is a helpful source of connection for family and friends. Group chats are possible with social media and allow moments of laughter or communication with more than just one friend. Even if people do not feel like hanging out, they can still feel close to their friends. Social media also allows for expression through photos, music, videos, or even sharing their thoughts online. Being able to share opinions and talk to others with similar or opposing opinions is a good way to improve social skills and gain different perspectives.
Overall, social media has an enormous impact on the daily lives of students everywhere. Although it can be distracting and cause worry, it can also connect and entertain humans around the world. I believe social media is here to stay, and learning to balance it better will allow us to evolve in the right direction.
