Research indicates that most youngsters would rather connect online than to meet each other in person. I believe this has become more rampant because of the comfort of social media’s accessibility as well as its addictive nature. While social media has its benefits, we must take actions to encourage healthy real-time communication and human interaction.
The rise of social media in the olden days was seen as a sign of advancement. It was introduced to make our lives easier. We could connect with one another from miles afar, across continents and anywhere in the globe. Slowly, this pattern became more disadvantageous. Teenagers became compliant because of the comfort of social media. So much so that, unfortunately, they now communicate over phones even when they’re in the same house. “Can you grab a Pepsi can on your way upstairs?”, texted my younger sister three days ago. This doesn’t sound like a weird request because of how common it has become.
Perhaps an even stronger contributing factor is the addictivity of digital devices. Applications like Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat and Tiktok, etc are designed with algorithms that keep our youth trapped, keeping them glued to their screens 24/7.
This habit has adverse effects on our younger generation in terms of their physical health because of a sedentary lifestyle, lack of concentration, eye-strain, musculoskeletal problems and most importantly, loss of human interaction. Some of my suggestions would be to introduce field trips more often at schools and universities. Parents should enrol their children in extracurricular activities e.g. debates, sports, drama clubs and music classes. Above all, awareness about the harmful effects of always communicating online instead of in-person should be spread among our teenagers. These practices will help mitigate this habit if not completely eliminate it.