Have you ever doomscrolled through a social media platform and suddenly realized you’ve been at it longer than you have ever binged a Netflix show? Surfing through social media has become part of people’s daily routines. For many teens, it has become more of a lifestyle than an app. Whether it’s scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, or snapping friends, many students find themselves spending a significant amount of time on screen. This frequent or sometimes excessive use is often referred to as social media ‘addiction.’ While it can connect many people and offer an enticing way to pass the time, it can also affect teenagers’ daily lives. It can interfere with school, relationships, and personal well-being. Understanding how social media can affect your life and recognizing when its use could become harmful is important.

What do you picture when you think about social media? For me, the Instagram app logo pops up in my head. It’s something that keeps many people engaged on their phones for countless hours. Social media can be incredibly fun and fascinating—you watch reels, chat with friends, and even share and get information all around the world. But sometimes it’s easy to lose track of your time and let it take over your day. After downloading the app, you might find yourself spending hours procrastinating on your schoolwork, even skipping hangouts with your friends and family. Over time, it can become a harmful lifestyle that slowly takes over your personal, school, and social life.

In fact, did you know that an average high schooler spends about 5 to 8.5 hours staring at their phone screen? Let’s see if you are one of these “average” high schoolers. Go to the settings app on your phone and check for your screentime. If it’s under 2 hours, you are doing great. On the other hand, if your screen time is above that, you should probably start considering ways to reduce it. An excessive screen time because social media addiction can mess with your sleep schedule, make you feel anxious, or even lonely. It is great to be connected around the world, but truthfully, most of the time, the reels we scroll through add no value to our lives. Sure, social media can help your brain release dopamine and make you feel happy, but you lose precious time to complete your schoolwork and have face-to-face conversations with your friends.  

The next issue we encounter is that too much social media can mess with your academics. Studies have shown that students who use social media more have a harder time keeping up with their studies compared to students who don’t use social media much. Even if you are doing well at school, you should ask yourself: at what cost? Do you not miss countless hours of sleep or opportunities to hang out with your friends? If you are missing out on sleep, this is detrimental to your mental and physical health. Feeling really tired can make the next day that much harder. Less social media equals less screen time, which, in turn, gives you more sleep and better health! With better health and more time to work, you might even have some free time left, where you might be able to use social media for some time, but not a lot.

When we think about these issues caused by social media, don’t you think we should improve our habits? If you ever get caught in the scroll, here are a few tips you might like to follow to use social media effectively and also not get addicted to it: 

• Setting daily screen time limits can help remind you that it’s time to put your phone down. It is a bit sad, but it’s for our own good!
• Turn off the notifications during study time so you won’t get distracted.
• Set strict boundaries, like no phones during meals or before bed, and absolutely not during study time. 
• Engage in offline hobbies like reading, painting, or even hanging out with your friends and family. 
• Take time thinking about screen time habits.
• Talk with your family about reducing screen time.
• If you are using social media, try to use it less for fun and more for productivity, like: 
  • You can utilize WhatsApp or Facebook to make study groups.
  • Try looking for Instagram accounts that are educational.
  • Use YouTube for educational videos. 
  • Integrate Snapchat to conduct a study marathon

Sometimes these might sound quite dull, but why not attempt using social media productively for a change and see the results? 

In conclusion, while social media might offer a powerful platform for connection and creativity, it’s crucial to recognize its potential to disrupt our daily lives. Using social media itself is not bad, but using it for too long is unhealthy. If you think you are missing out on the trends, occasional checking is fine, but try to be mindful of the time you spend there. Remember, social media is a tool—used wisely, it can be fun and helpful. But don’t let it steal your real-life moments!