To encourage students to become aware of how much time they use apps on their phones, The Mountaineer conducted a small survey in October at Stroudsburg Junior High School. According to this census, 73 percent of students spend approximately 2 hours or more on their phones daily. The app that 50 percent of students use most frequently is TikTok.
TikTok is a social media app that allows people to view and create bite-sized videos. Users scroll on the “For You Page” feed that is specifically curated to their interests. This app has taken the world by storm, with approximately 1 billion users globally.
Freshman Jiles Hernandez states, “Tiktok is known to be addictive; after one Tiktok you always want to see the next.”
A whopping 93 percent of students agree that social media can be addictive. This is due to the compelling algorithm of modern technology. Because of this, students are repeatedly sucked into the deceptive cycle of scrolling.
“Time goes by so fast when I am on TikTok,” says Freshman Peyton Costigan.
This is detrimental to the mental health of students because negative content thrives on TikTok. Disheartening videos are constantly shared, and the algorithm recommends this content to other users as a result. Spending an excessive amount of time on any app is detrimental, but TikTok is remarkably discouraging.
According to a study hosted by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, many participants were forced to take breaks or entirely quit using the app due to the stress and pressure it caused. Many users feel pressured to follow trends, even if they are potentially harmful.
While the aforementioned “For You Page” allows users to view content that appeals to their particular interests, it often leads to “a rabbit hole of negative content that’s nearly impossible to escape from,” University of Minnesota researchers say.
Although it may be difficult, breaking out of the scrolling cycle isn’t impossible. “I used to spend hours on end scrolling; I still do, but only for about 30 minutes or an hour before I do other things,” Freshman Hailey Abba states.
Moderation is the answer to overcoming harmful social media habits.