KIDZ CONNECTION PAGE 30 theconnectionsnj.com n today’s digital world, the craze of social media consumes our thoughts and takes over our lives. New trends pop up daily, compelling users to buy the latest fashion piece, watch a new movie, or try the next-best restaurant. How does this fast-paced online culture negatively impact our mental health? What are the impacts of constantly trying to keep up? FOMO–Oh No! Have you ever desperately wanted to be a part of a new trend? If so, you may have FOMO: the fear of missing out. When there is something viral online, people are naturally inclined to want to be a part of it. It is in our human nature to desire connection. Pair this feeling of wanting to be included with constant trends. Now we are always under the influence of FOMO. We may feel more isolated, have lower self-esteem, and face symptoms of mental health issues, like anxiety and depression. Dopamine From the Screen Swipe. Click. Post. Comment. All these things you do online seem pretty trivial, right? However, every time you do this on social media, you are altering your brain chemistry. It is not just a “like”– your brain is literally being rewired! When you’re on social media, your brain’s reward center releases dopamine, our “feel-good” chemical associated with pleasure and enjoyment. As you keep using social media, you build an addiction to this dopamine. Since it’s easy to obtain–all you need to do is keep scrolling! Now with ephemeral trends, we constantly change our focus, searching for that dopamine we crave. However, we are not meant to receive dopamine in such a quick manner! It’s not good for us. This addiction makes us heavily dependent on our devices. We are constantly trying to accommodate the fast-paced TEEN VOICE The Impact of Our Fast-Paced Online Culture on Your Mental Health By Jia Fletcher (Member of Cyber for Youth) Senior at John P. Stevens High School I 70% of people use their smartphone, including social media, while driving.7 Americans, on average, send 1 hour each day dealing with distractions.6 30% of users feel anxious if they haven’t checked Facebook in the last 2 hours.5 Source: humanetech.com/attention-mental-health lifestyle we’ve grown used to. This can cause many mental health problems to start arising–most commonly, depression and anxiety. We start seeing our devices as a source of comfort due to the dopamine and instant gratification we get, forming an unhealthy relationship with them. Addiction vs. Attention Have you made it to this part of the article yet? It may seem surprising, but for most people, this is not easy. Our attention spans have been decreasing as years go on, reaching an alarmingly short timespan. Social media usage has contributed to this decline. The fast-paced life that comes with social media has caused us to constantly shift our focus, leading our brains to lose their ability to pay attention for longer periods of time. Short videos, quick trends, new memes–all these things have led us to become addicted to such a hurried online culture. We start needing constant distractions and interruptions; that may be why you keep checking your phone for notifications every few minutes. We cannot focus and crave something to distract us! This causes stress, restlessness, and anxiety. Such interruptions make us feel stressed and unproductive. On average, it takes us around 25 minutes just to get back on track when we are distracted. Being a part of our fast-paced online culture is not as thrilling as it may seem. The toll that it takes on your mental health outweighs any sort of instant gratification. To put it simply, it’s not worth it. Be responsible. Be safe. Be aware. BRIANNA PETRO K-5 MATH TEACHER 908-938-6989 CALL OR TEXT MATH TUTORING GRADES 2-5 www.linkedin/in/briannapetro Start strong, stay ahead! F R EE F I R S T S ES S ION
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