With Freedom High School nearing the end of its first quarter of online school, students are becoming more attached to their devices now more than ever.

Spending a miraculous seven hours alone on the computer for schoolwork with minimal breaks without even taking into account the amount of hours spent on other devices for personal use. Popular social media apps such as Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat are making huge impacts on FHS students in addition to the extra screen time, and are even compelling some to quit social media altogether. 

“I was just never that interested in social media to begin with, quitting it altogether has given me more time to do activities that are better for me like completing my homework or playing lacrosse,” sophomore Grant Maiden said. 

A new documentary was released on Netflix called, “The Social Dilemma” perfectly displays the issues with social media surrounding this generation and forcing teenagers to take a different view on what social media might impact.

The documentary interviews past executives and employees who helped create these social media platforms and it ends up with these employees confessing and apologizing for creating certain aspects of these applications that have since become toxic. 

Creators such as Justin Rosenstein took responsibility for creating the like button. Intended to spread positivity, it has since taken quite the opposite effect as described in the documentary causing mental illnesses such as depression and body dysmorphia instead.

Daily advisory classes at FHS have been trying to counteract these mental illnesses from arising due to increased screen time.  Students have experience different lessons on how screen time can affect students and keeping the sources of strength wheel in students’ minds . 

“We hope to take off some of the pressure of online school,” said Tonya Smith, FHS assistant principal. “We want to make sure students know they’re supported through these difficult times.”

With this newfound increase of screen time, students should be aware of some of the effects it can have based on the documentary “The Social Dilemma” and the lessons presented in advisory classes.