Specialty Column

What started as a way of connecting people to one another has become a source of entertainment for many young people. As social media has evolved, the more it has been incorporated in everyday life, including the classroom. 

Now, social media is not all bad. It has given us everything from recipes to makeup tutorials all at the tips of our fingers. With the rise of AI it is even capable of writing research papers. However, to a developing and impressionable mind this can be detrimental for a student and is no place for the classroom.

Almost every teen has a smartphone, according to the International Journal of Advanced Information Technology, 78% of students will spend an average of 4-5 hours on their smartphones daily. It's hard to deny that checking Instagram or Snapchat during class cuts into these hours making it a tempting distraction. 

According to a recent survey published in the Journal of Media Education, 71% of students admit to checking their socials during school hours, and nearly half say it's hurting their grades.

But it's not just about grades. The world of social media is not as friendly of a place as it may seem. Cyberbullying is a serious issue amongst young people, with about 37% of students reporting that they've been bullied online. The feature of being able to hide behind a screen on the internet can entice bullies to say things they would never say in person causing issues that can carry with someone into the classroom.

Social media is more often than not, a space of someone’s highlights. Scrolling through your friends' perfectly curated feeds can make you feel like your own life doesn't measure up. It's easy to forget that what people post online is edited and not their full story. This constant comparison can take a toll on a student's mental health. An analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics revealed a significant association between social media use and depressive symptoms among adolescents.