The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.
by Lauren Dame
Arts, Style, and Beauty Editor
As students are getting comfortable in their second quarter for the 2021-2022 school year, are priorities shifting? Do things like screen time and social media, for example, take importance over responsibilities and school work? What is the most common thing on Bradley students’ phones that take attention away from their to-do list?
If you’ve taken a psychology course in the last couple of years, you may have learned about the brain and its training when it comes to technology, but more specifically social media. Students of this generation have grown accustomed to digitally interacting with people, and COVID has a lot to do with this. Art teacher Mrs. Boiarski says, “[social media is] always great especially when we were in lockdown with the pandemic to have a way to be in contact with your friends even when you can’t see them physically.” A great, fast way to communicate with people seems to be one of the most popular forms of media within students.
For this reason, social media is essential for many students. However, when they’re letting social media get in the way of their schoolwork especially while in the building, other students and teachers begin to notice. Carly Love (11) says that she’s noticed a decrease in productivity from herself, “a lot starting in the second quarter.” Over one fourth of the way through the school year, and some students even begin to ignore assignments all together, and perhaps social media is one of the biggest reasons.
A very popular app and one of the biggest social media outlets is TikTok. It’s uncommon that a student does not have TikTok downloaded, as it’s an easy way to escape from reality for a few minutes. But that’s the thing: if you’re not careful, a few minutes could turn into a few hours. It is a highly addictive app as videos less than three minutes long pop up on your ‘for you page’ specially modified to suit your interests.
The big question is if students simply deleted TikTok, would it be easier for them to be more productive and get things done? Science teacher Mrs. Forquer says “if [students] deleted [TikTok] they’re just going to find something else.” But what could replace TikTok? She continues, “it’s got to be something to fulfill that immediate need or immediate curiosity as to what people think or what people are posting... It’s always just going to be something else.” TikTok usage may be less about the app itself than needing a distraction, needing a getaway. For example, Anna Byers (10) says “I personally don’t have TikTok but Instagram ‘Reels’ is the same thing,” confirming Forquer’s belief that students will always have or find something else.
When students spend class time ignoring work and staring at their phones, more people notice than they realize. Boiarski mentions,“there are a lot of students who just sit and stare at their phone rather than doing their work pretty much every day.” While this may be out of carelessness for some and low motivation for others, it is becoming more common for students as the school year progresses.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that a great number of students work hard and try their best to get things done. Admittedly, it’s difficult, while still dealing with a pandemic and continuing to come to school every day. There is a fine line between overworking yourself and ignoring responsibilities and scrolling on social media for hours upon hours a day. Social media can be a real addiction, but eventually students will need to limit social media usage while in the building.