With the way the world runs right now, it is impossible not to own a smart phone. Most jokes originate online and even if they didn’t they get republished and remixed online and become its own thing. Whether it’s checking weather, time, where your friends are, getting job applications, etc. All of it is now usually done on a smart phone. Already, the internet in general has made it easier to learn and read about certain topics you may have never heard of. However, it also allows for fake news and plagiarism to spread faster than it ever could before. With the rise in AI as well, it’s made plagiarism even more spread because these AI’s are trained off information from previous writers, artists, etc. Now, having a device in our pockets with all this may beg the question, how is all of these affecting us today?

Teenagers alone have an average of 4.6 hours daily being on their phone in 2025 according to Nexus Teen Academy. This number when put in months results in 3 months of their life spent essentially being on their phone. That number is even higher in places like the Philippines and Brazil whose daily hours of screen time are 5 hours daily. Nexus Teen Academy also has found that the average is a “20% jump since 2022 and still climbing”. Teens have such high numbers on screen also due to the fact that the internet is also used as a way to socialize. Teen hangout spots in the past like the mall are also a dying form due to the age of ordering online. So as a result most teens call over the phone and hangout online. A lot of this screen time as well doesn’t even come from seeing what’s even current but just scrolling. To quote Nexus Teen Academy, ” According to a Pew Research study, most teens feel overwhelmed by social media pressure yet cannot stop scrolling.”. Our internet is faster than ever before right now, every TikTok trend lasts a month at most and every new joke lasts a week or two at best. Teenagers have and will always follow trends in the media because it feels like they have to.  Whether it’s dumb or not, when growing up to try and latch on to anything that gives you some sense of identity because your body is literally growing every day. Even now in schools, because of trends online it’s easy to want to conform to what you see around you and what you think would make you more likeable. As someone in high school, I have felt this way many times, especially more so when I was in middle school. There’s this feeling of wanting to be someone you see in school or online so you try but again what’s cool now and what isn’t changed every month because of apps like TikTok or Instagram. This could also be such a big reason why fast fashion has been more and more popular because of how high demands are now for certain looks and pieces of clothing.

I feel like I and other teens don’t even love being on the phone anymore, again that feeling of being overwhelmed is huge when being online but it’s impossible to stop. But it isn’t. Sure it’s hard, however it is not impossible. If you’re a teen here are some recommendations of what to do instead of scroll.

1. Go for a walk, a short walk will get you outside and move your body. Even if it’s short, it will unplug you. Not listening to music will also help unplug you.
2. Studying something you are interested in, looking into a topic you may be interested in will open the doors for you in learning something you are passionate about and might purpose something that has to do with it.
3. Writing about your day, recapping your day and then putting it down will make your mind feel at ease how one day is over and a fresh one is coming tomorrow.
4. A couple quick ones are listening to music, talking to friends or family, reading a book, drawing, etc.