BY SUMMER CRANDALL

I love my phone, don’t let Gen Z fool you. A lot of my generation tries to deny the fact that we’re chronically online. The day in the life with me starts with a doom scroll on TikTok the second my eyes open, and my first instinct is to check all of my notifications from the night before. 

Funny enough I saw a TikTok the other day that made me realize it really “is those phones”. The three word phrase Gen Z has gotten used to hearing over the years from teachers, parents and people born before the digital age. The TikTok that sparked this thought process was from a creator, who admitted to being home most days all day sitting in his room endlessly and mindlessly scrolling. Which only allows for you to feel every emotion, this turns into a vicious cycle. He posed the question, this is entertainment but at the cost of what? 

Social media’s impact is recognized but when does it truly become solved? The answer to this is simple, when people start to realize the negative effects of social media people will start to want a change. Health UCDavis in 2024 points to the long term effects “Social media can negatively impact our overall wellbeing by fueling anxiety, depression, loneliness and FOMO (fear or missing out). These issues are especially prevalent in teens and young adults.” 

Let me take you back to the guy on TikTok who posted about the circling emotions we feel when we enter the world of media. This rush of emotions isn’t normal and definitely not something that happens to humans everyday. Unfortunately this is becoming the norm. 

 Here’s the thing: none of us are giving up our phones. I’m not, and you probably aren’t either. The solution isn’t throwing technology away, it’s learning how to live with it without letting it control us. The American Psychological Association reported in 2023 that teens who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms. Three hours might sound like a lot until you check your screen time report and realize it’s your before-school scroll alone.

That’s the problem. Social media has gone from a tool to a lifestyle, and unless we take intentional steps to pull back, we’ll keep spinning in that endless cycle of comparison, distraction, and emotional whiplash. Setting app limits, taking phone-free breaks, and even just being honest about how much time we spend scrolling can start to break the habit.

Maybe it really is those phones. But it doesn’t have to be. If Gen Z is the generation “chronically online,” we can also be the generation that learns balance choosing to use our phones as a tool, not a crutch. After all, the world outside the screen is still worth looking up for.