In the past decade social media has evolved into an integral part of everyday lives. While citizens spend hours with their heads in their phones, tech CEOs are funneling profit right into their pockets, almost always at the expense of the public’s health. Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snapchat, went viral in December of 2018 for sharing his restrictions on his children’s tech use. He and his wife had implemented rules regarding their 7 year old that limited his screen time to an hour and a half per week. Most of us spend over 6 hours a day on tech and social media because of these apps that have been curated to trap us. The moguls themselves though seem to be unbothered and relatively okay with the destruction they claim to not be responsible for.
Meta shareholder and founder of facebook Mark Zuckerberg was recently sat at a judiciary committee regarding child exploitation on his social media platforms. Senator Dick Durban claimed that the apps have become too powerful and have “changed the way we live, work, and play.” Zuckerberg’s response was that he was not responsible for this but that it was not his product but the internet itself. The mogul apologized to the gallery watching and said he is, “make[ing] sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer.”
Students at Cathedral are among those consuming content on social media. As children we are protected by our parents. Parenting styles differ though, which results in varying levels of exposure to technology and social media early on. I personally was not given a phone until the summer going into my Junior year of high school. It was a big change for me. I think getting a phone that late was frustrating but I am definitely grateful it wasn’t the other extreme.
Anisa Pourteymour, a senior at Cathedral Catholic, shared that, “for a while it messed up my sense of self image and it made me grow up a little fast.” Social media and easy access to the internet is known to be harmful to young minds, but it’s also a place where people can find community and comfort as well as good entertainment! Social media has become a place where the majority of the world accesses their news now as well.
As students struggle with balancing social media, teachers at Cathedral are facing their own obstacles when it comes to parenting their own children. English teacher at Cathedral Mrs. Carlson shared that, “I feel sad that students have to curate their life so much.” While parents are necessary in regulating their children’s tech use, we as teenagers have the responsibility as well to learn how to balance the sometimes overwhelming presence of social media. Set screen times on yourself, lock your phone away, or put on do not disturb, but do not let your phone control you or ruin your life.
