Social Media: A Teenager’s Perspective
Joining social media in 2020 may have been the worst decision of my life. I was young, still am, and Covid caused a need for socialization and escape. The free rein social media granted me was overwhelming. I consumed content for hours nightly, my sleep forgotten.
I have pulled back significantly, school becoming a larger focus, my body now passing out from exhaustion. However, over the course of three, almost four years now, I’ve racked well into the thousands of hours of sleep debt. (I know this may seem like an exageration, but I myself have measured it. In an average week during 2022, I would rack up ten to twenty hours of sleep debt).
Most of this was done in private, a shameful secret reserved for myself in the hours of 3 or 4 am.
In the findings of an article on Behavioural Addiction, I find myself identifying with a significant amount of attributes listed on the diagnostic criteria provided. Some of which include:
“recurrent failure to resist impulses to engage in a specific behaviour.”
“pleasure or relief at the time of engaging in the behaviour.”
“a feeling of lack of control while engaging in the behaviour.”
Doesn’t that sound awfully familiar?
I am not a diagnosed addict. I’ve never had substance abuse issues. I know a limited amount about mental health and addiction. I am not a doctor or professor, I am no one but an ordinary teenager with access to the internet.
I am lucky enough to have parents who show me love every day. I was taught about internet safety. I was taught about teenage hormones. I was warned that growing up wouldn’t be easy, and it hasn’t been. I am privileged enough to grow up in a safe environment that lets me explore myself, the good and the bad.
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Unfortunately, social media (especially unmonitored use at a young age) results in youth being given a never-ending stream of content at a pace they can’t keep up with. The content isn’t necessarily mature, but the amount available encourages them to keep watching or reading, until they physically can’t anymore.
The solution to this issue isn’t to restrict or ban social media. In my experience, being held back from potentially addictive things like social media or junk food makes it harder to know how to cut back once a person’s gained access to it. Teach your children and teenagers how to mangage their impulses and unhealthy habits. Warn them of the physical, emotional, and mental strain it may end up causing them. Work with your kids to help them develop strategies to self-regulate their screen time so these habits can persist throughout their lifetime.
Take a look below. I’ve struggled with these behaviours. If you’re reading this post, there is a very high chance you have too:
“frequent preoccupation with the behaviour or with activity that is preparatory to the behaviour.”
“frequent engaging in the behaviour to a greater extent or over a longer period than intended.”
“repeated efforts to reduce, control, or stop the behaviour.”
“a great deal of time spent in activities necessary for the behaviour, engaging in the behaviour, or recovering from its effects.”
“frequent engaging in the behaviour when expected to fulfill occupational, academic, domestic or social obligations.”
“important social, occupational or recreational activities given up or reduced because of the behaviour.”
“continuation of the behavior despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent social, financial, psychological or physical problem that is caused or exacerbated by the behavior.”
“tolerance: need to increase the intensity or frequency of the behaviour in order to achieve the desired effect or diminished effect with continued behaviour of the same intensity.”
“some symptoms of the disturbance have persisted for at least 1 month, or have occurred repeatedly over a longer period of time.”
