Social media isn’t just a trend—it’s reshaping how we think, communicate, and live every single day. With platforms like Tik-Tok and Instagram, the world has changed a lot in many ways. . Not only is it a very popular topic, but everyone seems to have a strong opinion on it. In this column, I’m going to dive into the colliding opinions and facts about social media and the actual effects of it on people, and why I think the apps are not the problem.
Did you know that over 4.8 billion people across the world and 84% percent of people 18 to 24 years old in America use social media? But not only is the number of people that use social media astonishing, the time that they spend on these apps is just as crazy. The global average time spent on social media is 2.5 hours per day. If you spend 2.5 hours each day scrolling, that’s over an entire month on your phone per year! Is all of this precious time spent on screens really good for you? Research across 113 countries found that social media users had a 24% higher chance of reporting anxiety or depression compared to non-users. Studies also show that excessive or passive use of social media increases depression, anxiety, mood issues and loneliness. Even though these stats show that it is not good to be on social media, what do high school students think?
I think that social media can be good or bad depending on the way that you use it. If you are addicted to scrolling brainlessly on Instagram reels to the point where you are losing sleep and avoiding real human interaction, obviously it is a problem. But on the other hand, there are many benefits of social media. Using social media as a way to express yourself is a healthy way to use social media. For example, I post videos of myself snowboarding and some of my favorite photos to show people what I have been doing. Social media can be used for a lot more than just expressing yourself and showing people your awesome life.
Social media has become a major part of the way people make money. 96% of businesses are present on social media. This is one way that they get more customers and make more money. Photographers and videographers are highly dependent on social media platforms. It gives them an easy and accessible way to get their work out to more people. They then make money off of the number of people that view and like their posts. One more crazy fact to show how financially important social media is to people is that about 50 million people are currently making a living off of social media.
In conclusion, Social media has a lot of pros and cons, but in my opinion, it can be as detrimental or as beneficial as you make it. It’s not a question of if the apps are good or bad, but the question is how you can use social media to personally benefit you and your lifestyle.
