“You’re Always On That Phone!”

As soon as we get some free time, what do we run to? Instagram. When we’re bored and want to see what your friends are doing without us, where do we go? Snapchat. When we need a good laugh while Instagram is fixing their software for the tenth time this month, where are we flying on over to? Twitter. Whether a new season of something just dropped on Netflix, or some YouTubers are beefing and we’re switching back and forth from The Shade Room Teens to YouTube, us millennials are ALWAYS on social media. My question is, when will we have enough?

Is it when your likes aren’t matching the amount that your friend is getting, or when the channel you’ve been working on for two years doesn’t have as many subscribers as someone who’s been making videos for 10 months? Or will you finally have enough when you and another person tweet the same thing word for word, but yours gets 20 retweets and hers gets 20,000. As much as we complain and talk down on how horrid social media is, we just for some reason can’t let go, and why is that?

We’ve become so immune to waking up in the morning and checking what’s on our timeline, or checking the group chat to see who got into it last night. We’ve made these applications a part of our lifestyle and that’s a major problem. Imagine what would happen if there wasn’t any social media. Honestly, many of us would have nothing to offer, and the girl getting 1,000 likes a post just turns into another pretty face.

Take a break from all the mess every once in a while and find something else to do. It’s not “lame” to take up a hobby, or embrace something you sincerely enjoy doing, even if you’re not the best at it. The benefits of pulling away from social media include boosting your mental and physical health, and giving yourself time to live and reconnect with the real world. Instead of making online friends, you could pick up a sport like volleyball, or a hobby like photography, and interact face-to-face with real people who have the same interests as you.

Research conducted by The Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago surveyed 790 American teens age 13 to 17 about their social media habits. According to the report, “58 percent of teens who use social media have taken at least one break from the platforms,” and “23 percent of teens who have not taken a break from social media have wanted to take one.”

Personally, none of my friends have taken a social media cleanse, but I have and I can say that it definitely helps. You’re not always worried about someone else, and you stop feeling so competitive. Challenge yourself to step away from social media for a little bit. You might discover it’s just the break you need.

By DeAnna Baskin, Sophomore, Brooks College Prep

IG: @its.nazyy