Should You Quit Social Media?

Dear Jamie, 

    Remember last week when we went mini-golfing with Tamako? I was so busy Snapchatting that I don’t even know if I had fun. All I cared about was that my followers thought I was having fun. What a waste! So I’ve made a big decision: I’m quitting social media. 

    I’ve actually been stressed about this for a while now. Every day, I spend hours comparing myself with other people. I also feel sad when I don’t get enough likes. And I’m not alone. One study found that 41 percent of teens feel anxious or depressed about social media.

    That made me think: What else could I do with the time I spend scrolling through Instagram? I could have real conversations with friends, or I could learn how to play the guitar. I could even read all those books you lent me!

    I’m really excited about deleting my apps, because I think it’s going to make life so much better. But it would be easier to quit if we both did it together. What do you say?

XOXO

Marisol

Dear Jamie, 

    Remember last week when we went mini-golfing with Tamako? I was so busy Snapchatting that I don’t even know if I had fun. I just wanted my followers to think I was having fun. What a waste! So I’ve made a decision: I’m quitting social media.

    I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Every day, I spend hours comparing myself with other people. I also feel sad when I don’t get enough likes. And I’m not alone. A study found that 41 percent of teens feel anxious or depressed about social media.

    That made me think: What else could I do with the time I spend on Instagram? I could have real conversations with friends. I could learn how to play the guitar. I could even read all those books you lent me!

    I think deleting my apps will make life better. But it would be easier to quit if you did it too. What do you say?

XOXO

Marisol

Dear Jamie, 

    Last week, when we went mini-golfing with Tamako, I was so focused on Snapchatting that I’m not even sure whether I had fun. All I cared about was that my followers thought I was having fun. It was a waste of time, but it helped me make an important decision: I’m quitting social media.

    I’ve actually been stressed about this for a while now. Every day, I spend hours comparing myself with other people. I also feel sad when I don’t get enough likes. And I’m not alone. According to one study, 41 percent of teenagers feel anxious or depressed about social media.

    That made me think about what else I could do with the time I spend scrolling through Instagram. I could have real conversations with friends, learn how to play the guitar, or even read all those books you lent me!

    I’m really excited about deleting my apps, because I think it’s going to improve my life—but it would be easier to quit if we both did it together. What do you say?

XOXO

Marisol

Dear Marisol, 

    I totally get what you’re saying, and I support you. But I won’t be joining you. And no, it’s not that I’m another hopeless teenager hooked on Instagram. Mostly, social media is good for me. Let me explain.

    It’s called social media for a reason. These apps offer a way to be social—to talk to and keep up with friends. If I quit, I know I would feel lonely. Plus, Snapchat is how I stay connected to my cousins in Indiana. I don’t want to lose touch with people I don’t see often.

    There’s one other thing I wouldn’t want to lose. You know how I’m really into comics? Well, none of my friends here like them. Social media is where I go to talk to people who share my interests. Online communities can be really important for teens like me.

    Do you see what I mean? I understand that social media is making your life worse, but it makes my life better. And I can’t give that up.

Jamie

Dear Marisol, 

    I get what you’re saying, and I support you. But I won’t join you. And it’s not that I’m hooked on Instagram. Mostly, social media is good for me. Let me explain.

    It’s called social media for a reason. These apps offer a way to be social—to keep in touch with friends. If I quit, I would feel lonely. Plus, Snapchat is how I keep up with my cousins in Indiana. I don’t want to lose touch with them.

    There’s one other thing I wouldn’t want to lose. You know I’m really into comics, right? Well, none of my friends here like them. With social media, I can talk to people who share my interests. Online communities can be great for teens like me.

    I know social media is making your life worse, but it makes my life better. I can’t give that up.

Jamie

Dear Marisol, 

    I totally get what you’re saying, and I support you—but I won’t be joining you. And no, it’s not that I’m another hopeless teenager hooked on Instagram. It’s because social media has more benefits than drawbacks for me. 

    It’s called social media for a reason. These apps offer a way to socialize—to talk to and keep up with friends. If I quit, I know I would feel lonely. Plus, Snapchat is how I stay connected to my cousins in Indiana. I don’t want to lose touch with people I don’t see often.

    There’s another thing I wouldn’t want to lose. I’m really interested in comics, and none of my friends here like them. Social media allows me to connect with people who share my interests. Online communities can be incredibly valuable for teens like me.

    I understand that social media is making your life worse, but it makes my life better—and I can’t give that up.

Jamie