I’m betting that most people reading this checked their phones shortly before doing so. What you were doing on your screen is not my business, but I’ll ask you this: was it worth it? Did it change the course of your day? Did you really have to check your phone? In some ways, we are all victims of the constant urge to check our phones. And it makes sense. If you’re listening to music, you open your phone to skip a song every so often. If your mom texts you, you better text her back ASAP. If you’re stuck in an awkward situation, the first thing you’ll do is reach down into your pocket and grab your phone…the list goes on.
Especially for teens, myself included, it can be a challenge to let go of your phone. According to a survey done in 2022 by the Pew Research Center, the average daily screen time for a teen is seven hours and twenty-two minutes per day. In fact, according to similar research done by the same company, about ninety-five percent of teens have a phone or access to one as of last year. And of those users, most have some form of social media. Overall, forty-six percent of teens use the internet on a consistent basis, which is double the amount recorded in 2014-15. Among teens ages fifteen to seventeen, fifty-eight percent admit that it would be challenging to let go of social media. With more social media platforms on the rise, teen mental health is in a decline. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over four in ten teens have constantly felt miserable, or have feelings of sadness, and about a third of teens have poor mental health. The list goes on, and if you were to google teen mental health right now, you’d get multiple articles from an abundance of credible sources on this topic.
I think we all understand the downsides of too much screen time, and how unrealistic social media can be, but it can be hard to accept at times. According to a 2019 study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, twelve to fifteen-year-olds who used social media for over three hours a day were at an increased risk for mental health problems. It’s easy to get tangled up in the often-unrealistic aspects of social media for hours on end. They may make one feel less worthy or less important than others, thus causing a downfall in teen mental health. Constant social media usage may also limit one’s real-life interactions and cause teens to waste valuable time with their peers, instead they choose to spend time on their phones. This may also result in poor mental health.
So how can we resolve this situation? Personally, I feel the resolution will depend on the person. If you are someone who is able to control your phone and social media usage and find it’s not negatively affecting your everyday life, then it’s fair to say that a resolution might not be necessary. However, if you’re in the opposite situation, then it’s a good time to change. It may feel challenging at first, but it’s definitely possible.
In fact, teenagers in the Luddite club found themselves right where you are not too long ago, and now they live a life free of the shackles of their screens. These Luddite teens are working to create an environment without social media and with little access to technology. Logan Lane, the founder of this club, describes her experience ditching her phone in an interview with the New York Times, explaining that it forced her to find new passions to replace the time previously spent on her screen. Lane states, “My social anxiety has gone down…I do feel like I have more of a grasp on reality whereas I was living in a sort of fantasy world before.” While this solution may not work for everyone, it clearly shows the benefits of reducing screen time.
Everyone’s relationship with their phone is different, but it’s fair to say that it’s something we can all work to improve. There are benefits in taking some time off from your device, and—especially for teens—these benefits include the betterment of one’s mental health. While it will definitely come with some challenges at first,it’s a new adjustment that’s worth at least a try. Health is something that needs to be valued more, and everyone deserves to feel like the best versions of themselves. Sometimes, the things that we think might make us feel better may actually be the root of our misery. So, reader, I challenge you now to go do something for yourself. Go get a cookie, hang out with a friend, or even take a nap—but keep in mind a single rule: no phones allowed.
Logan Lane, a teenager who ditched her phone two years ago and started the Luddite teen movement (an anti-phone and anti-social media movement), courtesy of The New York Times