Photo by Sydney Chaikin

Senior Isaiah Kuiper scrolls on instagram during a flex day in AP Lang. Students often are relaxing or catching up on assignments during flex days, since there is such a heavy workload.

Social media has taken a toll on students’ lives. While there are positive aspects of social media such as keeping up to date with friends, supporting classmates, or even a quick getaway from reality, the increased use of social media by teenagers has resulted in social, academic, and emotional challenges.

Social media is a fun way to communicate with friends and family to share content and post interesting information and photos. However, problems can occur when the misuse of social media creates anxiety and challenges that hurt normal daily routines. The growth of social media has impacted school-wide elections, and political elections and changed methods of communication.

The impact of social media’s evolution affects students in college and high school who survived the COVID pandemic and are now suffering from anxiety and lack of social skills. “Sometimes I’m torn between catching up with my friends in person or just sending a text because it’s so easy,” senior Catherine Clark said.

Prior to the COVID pandemic, social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, and other easy-to-access sites were mainly for communication with family and friends. Post-COVID, the same sites are now being used in more ways. This creates possible overexposure and increases the risks of sharing too much or spending too much time focused online versus everyday life. “Typically when I go on social media I don’t ever see anything that is uplifting and positive,” senior Christian Wilkins said.

The use of social media has caused debate about its potential harmful effects. Using social media can be fun, but it can also feel like a trap that’s hard to escape. “I feel like it can go either way. When it comes to social media there are a lot of negative things you can see, and anyone can be exposed to things that they shouldn’t be seeing. At the same time you can also stay connected with people who live far away, or even promote stuff like brands,” junior Duke Ampofo said.

In reaction to the misuse of social technology and lack of rules and regulations, lawmakers pressured by parents hoping for enhanced parental control are trying to enact new laws. For example, in Maryland, there is a “Misuse of Electronic Mail” law, which prohibits sending direct threats and posting threatening or harmful information knowing its possible impact. In order to protect the safety of children on the internet, a bill has been proposed in the United States Senate called the “Kids Online Safety Act” with the goal to provide transparency and more safeguards for minors.

The growth of social media technology requires students, parents and schools to establish guidelines and rules for usage to protect students and promote their academic and mental health so they can get the best education possible.