Was Social Media Worth The Wait?

• Zara Sgambellone, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2021

Dear Diary,
I’m officially a teen. When you're reaching your teens, the one thing on your mind is your sudden leap into adulthood. I was always asked, “Are you excited?” I’d enthusiastically say “Yes of course!” Teenagers would tell me about the social media platforms and at school we would be educated on not only the dangers but the pros of social media. When I became 13 I was ecstatic to download all the Social Media apps, Tik Tok, Instagram, Snapchat. I only looked at the positive things on these apps and I saw them as the cure to connection.

But I realized that my screen time had increased, and my friends would look at their phones when we were having a conversation face to face. Whenever we would hang out, they would be watching tik toks, or snapping other people and calling them. They were distant, they hardly acknowledged that I was there. I started looking at these apps as a disease, not a cure. I kept on looking at fake posts, people hurting themselves for views, my friends getting upset if they didn’t get enough likes. Suddenly I realised it was happening to me too. I was nervous about the fact that people may not like my post. It was spreading. I knew this was just the beginning. Soon I would be checking my phone every few minutes to see if I’d gotten a text, and as I tried to study, I would guiltily look at the screen as it lit up, I would snatch it, and stop working. I didn’t want to delete the apps, I still use them for good reasons, like contacting my friends overseas or making videos with friends, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t infected with the fake lies that social media implanted in my head.

Now whenever I study I silence my phone and turn it face down. I wasn’t letting myself become too reliant on my social media platforms, or my phone. I noticed my friends were having problems. When we were trying to study I did what I usually do. Do not disturb, and face down far away from me so I would not let myself become distracted. I asked for my friend's phone too. I told her that it would help us focus. I could see her wince when I turned her phone on silent and face down across the table from us. I began to work, but out of the corner of my eye I noticed she was glancing at her phone fighting that urge to grab it. Ten minutes later, she picked up the phone and looked at her messages, her shoulders relaxing as she clutched tightly to the small light box. I couldn't believe it. She was trapped into the fake world that social media had laid out for her. I knew that it was inevitable and this was going to continue, but I'll stay strong. I won’t let social media control me.