Lloyd Arthur | Writer and Sophia Bird | Writer
August 31, 2023
Why is it that teenage students hide behind the protection of a social media profile but then when faced with reality, they become introverts? 36% of teens believe that they spend too much time on social media whether it be Instagram, Snapchat, or Tiktok. These same teens tend to lack social skills and are incapable of communicating on the same level of confidence when in the real world compared to when they are behind the screen.
According to the Pew Research Center, “teens feel pressured to present themselves in a certain way.” For teens, social media is one of the utmost important aspects of going through high school; it allows you to keep connected with others and uphold relationships. However, in some cases, it becomes a mask. Many teens, such as junior Kinglsey Tetherton, believe that “it is easier to talk to everyone on the phone than in person.” The interaction between one another becomes difficult when face to face because the emotions of the other are more easily read.
Due to covid, some people may also be lacking in social skills.
The year-long break of seeing each other in real life, being quarantined to our houses, and only being able to talk through facetime really put a dent in everyone’s social skills. Two out of three teenagers tend to lack social skills and the same ⅔ of teens are fully engaged on social media. Over time, teens have evolved from playing at the parks to laying in bed on their phones. Furthermore, these same kids tend to disconnect from the real world and feel as if they are alone. These profiles that are created online rarely speak the truth about who a person is.
The way technology has advanced in today’s age, students would rather talk to a computer-generated robot (AI) than an actual person. Websites like Character AI allow anyone to “talk” or “chat” with any character from whatever franchise they want. Some people spend hours a day there, rather than going out into the real world and socializing, or even just texting their friends. Though technology is beneficial in many ways, it definitely has a negative impact on the younger people in our society. It causes people to feel distant from one another — and the only way they can connect is through the lies of a profile page.
Leave a Reply