Faceoff: Should schools regulate screen time for the sake of mental health?

The Messenger’s writers debate on the health effects that come at the price of extended hours of screen time.

Graphic by Grace Peng, Managing Online Editor

Yes:

Sanjana Gopu, Staff Writer

As generations pass, the topic of mental health becomes increasingly important to young adults and children. For the latest generation, social media is the primary cause.

Social media and technology are at the root of mental health issues, as they increase pressure from society and bind societal standards upon adolescents. Students may feel the need to live up to others, academically, appearance-wise, and in many other ways. This is only unnecessary stress that contributes to the pressure of everyday life. In addition to this, technology tends to be “addicting” and ultimately takes time away from their lives.

Generally, school and academic responsibilities tend to be the main source of stress for students. Between assignments, assessments, and extracurriculars, “free-time” is normally a scarce thought, and technology not only takes away from this extra time but leaks into the time that should be designated for everyday responsibilities. Though students could simply stay up late, this adds stress, leading to poor mental health. 

TikTok, a video-sharing app filled with 15-second clips, has become very popular in the past year. Teenagers may become famous on the app, posting the highlights of their life. As a result, the numbers associated with how many likes or how much engagement the video gets can overwhelm students. A goal or aspiration for many young teenagers is solely to become “TikTok famous” which can be very hard to do and can lead them to believe they may not be good enough or demean themselves in more ways than one. Consequently, many teenagers become insecure about their looks. Others may experience the fear of missing out and consequently also become obsessed with the app. 

While spending time on an app that takes away from your confidence seems easy to avoid, people tend to dwell on their insecurities and become sucked into the never-ending feed of videos. This can slowly chip away at their happiness and only add to the stress of school and the responsibilities of their everyday life. 

Schools should regulate the usage of social media because it only damages a student’s mental health. While it can serve as a coping mechanism of some sort, it’s much more likely a student will become trapped within it. This is why it should only be limited, not completely taken away. Limiting it will reduce the chances of overuse and overconsumption of social media content, preventing them from damaging their mental health.

While limiting screen time is a personal choice, social media can be addicting, and accepting the limit will not come willingly. By leaving the regulations up to the school, valuable time can be ensured to be put towards something productive, instead of being wasted on mentally detrimental triggers. It also puts students at less risk of being indulged in societal pressure, in turn leaving them at less risk of mental health issues. Mental health issues have become a growing conversation in recent times and limiting the use of social media and technology could be a way to help the problem. 

No:

Sofia Mang, Staff Writer

 Living as a teenager in this generation, it’s nearly impossible to not be “corrupted” by social media. Everyone views it as a destructive source of mental health issues for all of its users. However, in the ways that it brings ruin, it can also provide comfort and familiarity. 

While, yes, social media can be toxic at times, it’s also a coping mechanism for many people. Let’s take the social media app Twitter for example. Many teenagers use twitter to organize their thoughts, vent about their struggles, and take their mind off of the more serious aspects of life. 

Looking at funny tweets and stories, while indulging in their interests and the things that make them happy, students are actively improving their mental health in their own way. Being able to take part in what they enjoy is a much better alternative than school restricting their screen time and forcing them to only focus on their schoolwork. 

The same goes for Instagram and other platforms. For some, the posts that pop up on students’ explore pages bring students more comfort than a therapist could. As much as it can pull you into an endless vortex, some people need that vortex to combat their mental health issues and forget about the degrading voice in their heads. 

Screen time not only refers to social media but also communication. Support systems vary, but most people, especially teenagers, have friends and family who emotionally support them. Using their technology and other communication apps, they’re able to contact whoever they need, whenever they need to. If schools attempted to take away or restrict that freedom, they would also be taking away students’ mental support systems. 

Even with friends and family that live close by, some students need more support in regards to their mental health. Some students struggle to make friends in real life or feel that they are outcasts, so they turn to the internet to seek out new relationships. Through social media apps and other means, teenagers are able to create countless bonds with others online. 

These online friends provide both solace and comfort, making each other feel not as alone and burdened with their problems. Whether it is talking during school hours in case the other isn’t doing well mentally or helping to provide a sense of friendship and familiarity, schools shouldn’t take away this pillar of support. 

For most students, school is the base of stress and declining mental health, so taking away forms of relaxation and making students study instead is a worse option. While it is true that some aspects of technology and screen time are bad, not every part is. Creating ways to cope and mentally improve by using social media is completely healthy. There are points where each person needs to restrict themselves but leaving it up to the student and their personal choices is best. 

A person can choose if their screen time is increasing too much, causing their mental health to decline, and then they can decide to limit it on their own. Leaving it up to the schools, however, is a bad idea that will only lead to failure. 

Every student should judge their own habits and how social media and technology affects their own mental health. Students should know their own coping mechanisms and support systems. While their intent is good, schools should take their hands off of the controls and instead let students make their own knowledgable choices for their own lives.