In 2019, it is obvious that technology has uproared in today’s society. Most American teenagers are constantly using social media and their phones. NBC News did a survey on how addicted kids are to social media. NBC News says that half of teenagers admit that social media distracts them from talking to someone right in front of them. Most teens admit social media distracts them from sleep and homework. Meanwhile, there are negative effects of social media on American teens, there are also positives about social media use.

Social media does a good job of showing trending industries and trending news. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat are used to keep you updated on your favorite sports teams, brands, and more. Social media can also update you on where and what your friends are doing. At Cape Henry Collegiate, many of the upper school uses social media and I asked a few students in the upper school a couple questions on their views of social media. 

Lane Carlson, a senior basketball player at Cape Henry uses social media and had a few things to say on it. When I asked Lane how long he could go without his phone, Lane responded: “I could go 2-3 days without it, it wouldn’t be too bad”. I then asked Lane if how many hours of a day he’s on social media and what he likes about it and Lane responded “3 hours a day, and I like checking in on my favorite sports teams, my favorite app is Instagram.” 

Matty Vanderwerf, a senior goalkeeper for the CHC soccer team also uses social media. I asked Matty how long he could go without his phone and social media and Matty responded: “I could go a week without my phone”. I asked Matty what he likes about social media and like Lane, Matty responded: “I like being caught up on my favorite sports teams and seeing what my friends are doing, I like Instagram the most.” Poor Matty being a New York jets fan does not need to check his phone that much since there’s hardly any good news on the Jets!

I then asked a female in our community, Madeline Rippa, what her views are on social media. I asked how long she can last without her phone and Madeline said: “1 day, that’s it”. I asked Madeline what she likes about social media and she said: “I like talking with my friends and seeing popular things to shop for, I like snapchat the best”. 

Social Media is viewed in many different ways. Adults view social media as a bad thing on today’s youth but I think sometimes adults forget to view the good sides of Social Media. Even though kids spend a lot of time on social media, that issue can be fixed and our country should focus more on the positives of Social Media instead of the negatives. At Cape Henry, a lot of our community uses social media and social media is a good thing for our Cape Henry community because it can keep us all connected.