As we all have come to observe, social media is a pervasive part of everyday life. Whether someone is ten or seventy, social media has become necessary to existing in the real world. When social media first came on the scene, it was not as questionable whether it was a harmful spend of time. Of course, when the craze first began, it was not nearly like it is now. There was a separation of real life and one’s computer life. This was mostly because the computer lived at home and was not portable through a cellphone like it is today.
What makes social media more dangerous now is the toll it is taking on the mental health of today’s youth. A school superintendent located in Ishpeming, MI spoke out about the experiences of the kids in his school district as it related to their reliance on social media. He felt that schools should be taking a more direct approach when it came to how often kids are allowed to use social media. This is out of concern for the levels of depression and increased anxiety students might be experiencing. Instead of living in real time and experiencing things with their eyes instead of their cellphone cameras, students are becoming obsessed with “likes” and panic when their posts are not acknowledged.
One of the primary goals that schools in this area are trying reach is helping students understand that while social media is great, there are several downsides to their constant participation. Schools are encouraging parents to lightly monitor younger students as they navigate social media. This is done in hopes that with parental supervision, younger students might not succumb to potential issues with anxiety and depression. Though this is the ideal outcome, it has not been an easy endeavor to accomplish.
Another issue being faced by trying to separate teens from social media is the age gap that comes from administrators trying to relay these concerns to their teenage students. According to one Michigan high school senior, the messaging is difficult to take seriously because older generations didn’t grow up with the technology at the level that it is now. Most of the people from the older generations knew what it was to not be tied to a smart phone. Because younger generations today grew up with all of the technology we know to be available, it has become second nature to constantly post on and obsess over social media.
Dil Bole Oberoi
