Social Media Addiction in Teens

Bethanie Freeman and Vaya Ontiveros, Student Life staff writers

Kearns- We all have social media and use it on a daily basis, but there comes a point to where it’s too much. The Cougar Claw interviewed a few students at Kearns High School and collected their data. The results state that over 51% of teenagers from ages 13 to 17 say that they wouldn’t be able to have a social life without a phone, or someway to connect to social media.

To come to a conclusion how social media effects students, The Cougar Claw conducted multiple interviews with a few different students.

First, we interviewed Diang Kuajian, a tenth grader who claims he is addicted to social media, and it effects his life in a negative way. For example, he usually can’t get school work done, and it’s hard to be anywhere without his phone. He states that he doesn’t have a fear of missing out because of social media, and he doesn’t feel sad or depressed when he is scrolling through Instagram or clicking through Snapchat. However, he does always feel the need to be on social media.

Next, the Cougar Claw interviewed Zoey Pierce, a student at Kearns High who is also in tenth grade, says that all the drama on the internet has a huge impact on her life, adding to her depression. When she doesn’t have her phone, or isn’t on social media, she says that she feels happy and calm. However, as soon as she gets back on her phone, her feelings of anxiety return, along with the fear of missing out.

We also decided to get into contact with Ricardo Rondas, someone who is more connected to social media through YouTube. Ricardo is a tenth grader at Kearns high school. We interviewed him and recorded his responses. We had asked him how he feels being connected through social media, and how it affects him. He responds, saying, “I personally really enjoy being on social media, because I can keep up with what is going on in the internet”. He also explains how he loves to upload original content on his YouTube channel. He also enjoys being able to express himself through his videos, and enjoys talking to the camera. In a way, social media has helped Ricardo express himself, and he uses it as a way to escape difficult days.

Metro News recently wrote an article revealing ten of the major signs of addiction. The first sign is of addiction is looking at your device as soon as you wake up in the morning. If you find yourself reaching for your phone as soon as you open your eyes, then you might be starting an addiction to your phone. The second sign of addiction is finding yourself spending hours looking at nonsense on your device. If you constantly find yourself looking at posts and tweets that aren’t relevant to you or your everyday life, you may be addicted. Another sign of addiction is constantly checking your phone wherever you may be. If you pick up your device and check your phone everywhere you are, you are probably experience symptoms of addiction. The fourth sign of addiction is posting everything you do in your daily life. While there is nothing wrong with posting on your Instagram story, excessive posting is a sign of addiction. Sign number five for addiction is hearing notifications even when you did not receive any. If you feel your phone vibrate or hear a notification even when your phone is off, you are most likely addicted. The sixth sign of addiction is that your friends only contact you through social media platforms. If your friends’ only contact for you is through social media, you may want to reconsider your phone usage.

Sign number seven for addiction is having your phone take up every minute of your daily life. If you would rather stay inside all day on your phone rather than go outside, you are probably addicted to your phone. The eighth sign of addiction is constantly looking to see how many likes you have gotten, or how many people have viewed your story. If you are consistently checking your story views or the amount of likes on your post, or even deleting your post altogether due to the low number of likes, you may be addicted to social media. Sign number nine of addiction is feeling completely devastated and lost if you don’t have access to Wi-Fi, data, or service. If you feel this way when you can’t use your phone, you are addicted to your phone. The final sign of addiction is when choosing the most accurate status for you, it can be stressful or even tortuous. If you are updating your biography and it is taking a lot longer than it should, or you’re overthinking what to add, you are most likely addicted to your device. If you find yourself agreeing with some of these signs of addiction, you may want to try limiting your phone usage.

Social media effects people and young adults in both a negative and a positive way. Look for signs of addiction, and take into consideration how social media affects you in your everyday life.