Staff editorial

How social media can influence students to achieve higher education ability and expectations. Important test dates are coming up for juniors and taking a break from social media a few months before a big test can increase the probability of passing

Reagan Horne, Staff Writer

To say it’s been a taxing and immersive year for all students is a huge understatement. Social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, and Twitter have eaten up a large portion of student’s educational time. It is no secret that a good portion of the Generation Z population revolves around procrastination and turning in assignments well past the due date. Would the elimination of highly distracted platforms increase grades and decrease procrastination? 

Students in high school face expectations that have been set very high when studying for the SATs and maintaining a college-approved GPA. With procrastination comes hours and hours wasted on social media, which could have been assigned to efficient studying. Eliminating distractions could motivate students to increase their academic priorities. This hiatus will allow students to balance the stress of online influence with their offline lives. 

Many sources suggest that a so-called tech detox can be taken into consideration. The motivation from this detox will increase productivity during the last semester of the school year. In order to achieve a new routine and create new habits, students must refrain from long nights and late mornings. 

People who are prepared to sacrifice restful nights for deadlines are most aware of the unhealthiness that lies behind the dreadful decision. Insomnia can not only impact academic performance but also mental health or even anxiety. Most students may plead, “I need to finish this, I’ll just sleep in tomorrow.” However, that common mistake should be avoided entirely with an appropriate and healthy sleep routine. Once your body is adjusted to the new sleep routine, it will know when to start telling your brain that it’s tired and when to wake up in the mornings. The disorder of insomnia can also be affected by one's time management. 

Conquering the skill of time management is quite challenging to come by for some students. Effective time management can reduce the weight of stress on a student’s shoulders. Social media induces a wedge between time for work and social affairs. Removing that hindrance will impact the productivity in a student’s average school day. The ability to take a rest break after a hard day's work will result in such relief knowing the work is done and all academic responsibilities are no longer a concern. 

To let go of the burden most students call school, taking a step back from the online world will lead to unexpected success sooner rather than later. Preparing upperclassmen for the countdown to when their families wave them goodbye and enter the new chapter of college life, a dedicated and offline mindspace will achieve that goal. The invisible boundary, we tend to call social media, is holding students back with the inability to trounce the disconnection from our screens.