Each and every day we walk past people in the halls, sit next to people in class, and even wait in line for the bathroom, and just about everyone is using social media. But is this really something helpful? Is spending more than 5 hours on your phone a day going to benefit you in any way? The answer isn’t really that surprising. Spending long hours on your phone has various effects such as increased risk for depression, decreased attention span, short temper and even risks of cancer. There are various kinds of uses for your phone, but the main thing among teenagers is the use of social media. 

Although it can help us connect, in reality it seriously affects our mental health in drastic ways. Using social media can be addicting to many. Lots of people beyond my friends feel the need to check their social media at least every hour, and some don’t even know why. So many of us spend hours and hours just endlessly scrolling, and maybe it is because we are bored, but it could even be considered an addiction. Social media also poses as a danger to our mental health; constantly we compare ourselves to others on social media which in turn can cause self-hatred. In many studies, whether you believe you are better or worse than those you are comparing yourself to, it creates feelings of social isolation and sadness. It also creates lots of jealousy and issues among friends and even family. All in all, social media is something just about all of us use however, should we really be this invested?