As news media sources seem to become increasingly louder in these strange times, one may find looking on the bright side difficult. And with social media apps becoming more addicting, users often find it difficult to limit the amount of time they spend on their devices. Even more, as social media apps continue to profit on the attention of adolescents, their screen time continues to rise.
A simple solution to the stress that social media and news sources cause would be to stop watching the news or delete social media from one’s phone, but as a journalist, I am finding it hard to detach myself from this type of media. I am in a spot where consuming news media is crucial to writing quality articles.
Most teenagers probably understand the damaging effects of social media, as they may have learned about it in school. They understand that smartphone addictions often cause poor mental health. However, the process of deleting social media and disconnecting from news sources is a process that many do not take because social media is how many teenagers communicate, and as these sources continue to compete for one’s attention, they become more addicting.
Taylor Irvin, a counselor at North Polk High School speaks on how even though social media is the most common way to communicate, it is important to detach oneself from the damaging effects social media can have on teenagers. Irvin describes, “it is important for teens to learn how to communicate in healthy ways. For example, setting boundaries online, using positive language and motives on platforms and not using it as a way to hurt others.”
Though I have recently taken steps to delete many of my social media apps off my phone, I am still finding it difficult to stop consuming news media. However, finding a balance with my screen time and finding ways to detach myself from my devices has improved my overall health. Still, many teenagers still spend much of their day on their devices.
When asked about social media usage among teenagers, Irvin outlined, “[i]t is recommended that teenagers should only be on their devices for recreational usage for only a total of 2 hours per day. Although from a survey conducted here at North Polk, 44.2% of our population shared that they are on their devices for a total of 4-6 hours per day.”
One may wonder why teenagers spend much of their time on their devices, and why they don’t just delete social media to better their relationships with their devices. Simply put: it is the most popular form of communication.
With all that being said, taking frequent breaks from social media, knowing how much time is spent on devices and understanding how to have a healthy relationship with screen time as outlined above are all ways one can improve their mental health.
Irvin concluded, “I feel that people can have healthy relationships with their technology and social media choices as long as they are establishing boundaries. Boundaries include time constraints, content of conversations being positive and still communicating in healthy ways with peers in person.”
