By Erin Rebello

*** Ding! That sounds like your phone buzzer is going off. What notification could it be now? Perhaps a text from a friend, someone liking your post, or maybe even a headline with breaking news? You should probably check it, right now, along with the 20+ other notifications that have been piling up since you last put down your phone. It could be important! ***

Does thinking about this situation put you on edge or give you a feeling of lingering anxiety? If so, you certainly aren’t alone! In this technological day and age where information is at our fingertips, it can be very tempting to want to drink in every text, headline, or post. It’s human nature to crave information, and no one likes feeling left out.

But is it healthy? Is it good for our mental health to be constantly searching for posts and replies to fill our souls? In this warped world where every app seems to be begging you to use their product and check your notifications, is it healthy to be giving in to such urges? In my humble opinion, I would argue that this constant flood of social noise is extremely unhealthy, especially for young and impressionable minds.

For starters, think about how social media makes it harder to communicate and bond with your friends in person. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that it is very common for people to check their phone notifications while hanging out with someone in real life! Although it may have been an important notification or text, more often than not, it could have waited until later. In this way, we are deteriorating how we connect with those around us. This is especially true for gen-z kids like myself, who have basically grown up surrounded by this sort of social white noise.

Another issue, which I have noticed in myself, is how much anxiety constant social media use causes. Although I have it better under control now, I remember how I would sit on edge anxiously, waiting for a friend to reply to a text, waiting for them to get online, waiting to see the three little dots that indicate they’re typing. Although I thought I knew better, I was subconsciously wrapped up in the messy world of social media. It’s hard to admit, but like many other teens, I equated my self-worth to what others thought, reducing my personhood to a gallery of pictures in a sea of profiles. While over time I was able to gain better control, I sometimes wonder what would happen to me if I continued caring about the likes and comments. It truly scares me to think that I could have been drowned by the ear-splitting sound of social noise that sinks so many other teens my age.

Finally, I want to bring light to the very real issue of social media addiction. Although it is often swept under the rug, social media addiction is a very real issue, especially for children and teens with an abundance of spare time. The worst part is that no one realizes they have a problem. Think about it, how much time do you think you’re spending on Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, Reddit, or Twitter. Maybe a couple of hours in a day? In most cases, this estimate is blatantly wrong. Many apps have complex algorithms put in place to keep you scrolling for hours on end- without even noticing! You probably thought it was convenient that your social media account always seems to show you posts that you enjoy, but this is actually a carefully planned attempt to hold your precious attention for as long as possible. Is this really something that you want for yourself?

If you’ve read this far, you might just be convinced that social noise is harming your mental health. But how do you stop? How do you beat an algorithm that is programmed to be stronger than human willpower? I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say that it’s easy. Your problems and cravings won’t disappear overnight, and you might even still need social media for work or to communicate with others.

So how do you cut down without necessarily going cold turkey? A great way to start, is by turning off notifications for most of your apps, except perhaps important email or SMS texts. It can be very tempting to pick up your phone and start scrolling when your phone buzzes to life with a new notification, so instead keep you instant notifications off. Worst comes to worst, you’ll reply a little later, which isn’t a huge deal! I also recommend being deliberate about your social media use. Open an app with a clear idea of what you want to do, and don’t linger! Once you start scrolling, you’re as good as gone, so be sure to think really hard and be purposeful with your social media usage. Finally, be aware of how much you use social media. Most phones have an option in the settings tab that allows you to track your usage. I urge you to constantly check up on these numbers. If you’re spending 20 hours a week mindless scrolling through Tiktok, take a step back and think about what you could be doing with that time. Improving your art? Learning a language? Diving into an interesting book? The possibilities are limitless!

In conclusion, it’s important to realize that the constant pull of social media can be very harmful, especially to children and teens. It deteriorates in-person connections, causes issues with mental health and self-perception, and also results in terrible cases of addiction. With these severe consequences in mind, it’s important that we are mindful and purposeful about our social media usage. Instead of letting social media control us, we need to take back our autonomy, and instead control the way we use social media. We have waited far too long, and it’s about time we tuned out the social noise around us, and instead embraced a more peaceful social silence.