Not-so-Social Media - Karina Reed (Tiffin School)

Flash back to 4 hours earlier and you’d have found me settling into bed for the night, adamant that this, this would be the night that I start the journey to fixing my sleep schedule. Fast forward just an hour, however, and you’d have found me juggling at least 5 different conversations across multiple platforms, rapidly punching out replies to various group chats and simultaneously scrolling through Instagram, no doubt whilst also on a video call - all the while knowing that I’ll regret it the next day, when I’m afflicted with the mother of all headaches and sleep deprivation comparable to that of a new parent.

To me, there’s something undeniably exhilarating about receiving a notification. There’s the juvenile excitement I get from opening a message, like a child on Christmas Day, and then, of course, comes the crafting of a witty response; usually something that furthers the conversation whilst remaining light-hearted and entertaining. Between periods of brief concentration on homework, I find myself being drawn back to my phone, lured by the excitement of that little alert telling me my message has been read, and the eager anticipation of a reply. Even if it never comes, I can still scroll through the app, the endless supply of pictures, videos and even reposts from (yep, you guessed it) other social media platforms satisfying my hunger for content.

For many of us, including myself, social media acts as an extension of our time with our friends and family. It allows us to be everywhere with everyone at any time. The freedom it gives us to interact with people is incredible, but also somewhat addictive if not managed correctly. More than one third of teenagers spend at least 3 hours a day on social media, a fifth spending a shocking five hours online, according to scientists at the University of Glasgow, who analysed data from nearly 12,000 children across the UK. The study aimed to establish whether there was a link between poor sleep patterns and social media usage, and it was found that those teenagers whose usage was classified as being “very high” were 68% more likely to go to sleep after 11pm as opposed to peers who used social media for an “average” period of time.

Now for the science. It’s common knowledge that looking at our phone screens before bedtime can negatively impact our sleep. Why? Well firstly, our brains associate any kind of exposure to light with being awake, which is why we are advised to stay away from our screens for at least an hour before bed. Phones emit something called “blue light”, the wavelengths of which are suited to keeping our attention and focus. As the day turns to night, our bodies produce melatonin, a hormone which causes our attention to wane in preparation for sleep, but blue light inhibits the production of melatonin which means that we remain in a state of mental awakeness. 

So, how can we take back control of our social media usage? When in need of knuckling down, the app that I swear by is “Forest”, the app that promises to stop phone addiction. It works by allowing you to grow your very own "virtual forest", the diversity and vastness of which depends on the length of time you spend concentrating on pursuits - be those studying, exercising or practising an instrument - away from your phone. You're in control. As you stay focused, a new plant for your forest will "grow", thriving off of your productivity (or in my case, seemingly off of my pain at being separated from my phone). Should you tap away from the app, however, your little plant will wither up and die. No pressure.

It’s surprisingly liberating though, challenging yourself to a social media detox. Tell your friends you need to take a break. Turn off your notifications. Unplug to reconnect. Disclaimer - withdrawal symptoms may include a heightened sense of awareness for the world around you, more valuable interactions with your friends and an increase in mental well-being. You have been warned.