Social Media Addiction is Real
In June, I decided to challenge myself by going one month without using social media. This included apps like Instagram and TikTok. By the third day, I found myself struggling as I would constantly check my phone for those apps, forgetting that I was trying not to use them.
Ultimately, I was able to go the full month without social media, but as soon as the calendar turned to July, I went back to scrolling through my feed all day.
Social media is something that has become a part of our daily routine. It is something many of us check constantly without having a good reason to. Studies show that teens spend almost five hours daily on social media while the “typical” social media user spends around two and a half hours. Another study showed that an estimated 33 million Americans are reported as being addicted to social media.
These statistics come as a shock at first, however, in retrospect, it becomes less so. Given how much time we unknowingly spend scrolling through social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, these statistics make sense. These statistics truly opened my eyes to how attached and accustomed we are to social media, as people our age spend nearly a fifth of their day on it, and even those who are older spend more than two hours on it.
While some may argue that social media is a fun way to connect and interact with friends, others have argued that social media has led to instances involving cyberbullying, social anxiety, jealousy, depression, and inappropriate content exposed to others.
I personally suggest we all need to take breaks from social media throughout the day. A good idea is going no social media from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. or, if you have an iPhone, use the Screen Time feature to limit the amount of time and access you have to certain apps, which can be located in your settings.
Social media is one of the most impactful discoveries of the past generation. It has influenced all different kinds of people throughout the world and continues to influence our generation today. We should be careful not to let it captivate us any further than it already has, not just for our generation, but for the generations to come.
This writing was very eye opening for me. It made me think of how I might be addicted to social media too.
The way you address the issue of social media addiction is really intriguing and the way you included your own experiences with this was captivating.
I agree with how social media addiction has been so ubiquitous and how there needs to be ways to decrease screen time.
I agree with your statement about not letting social media captivate us any further. Social media has become something very influential and has had a huge impact on society since it was created. I believe that we should not only cut down time on social media, but time on our phones as well.