Is social media worth all the problems that come with it? Most people in the world are constantly checking social media every few minutes. Teens always fear losing a 100 day streak on Snapchat, receiving a bad comment, or even not being tagged in a picture. All these fears plague social media-addicted teens constantly.

How much social media is too much? Some people never go on social media, so they don’t see the need for it. Other people practically need social media to survive everyday life.

When sharing his thoughts about teens and their need for social media, Mr. Locheim, a History teacher at HHS, observed, “I find it fascinating that I do not think social media and smartphones have made people less social; I think that it makes people less comfortable with social situations. I see in the halls and at the ends of classes students talking with each other and being quite social, but I see them using their phone as an icebreaker. What I do not see as much anymore is students approaching another group of students and engaging in conversation, because students do not do that as much when they are younger and practice the social courage it takes to complete the act.”

Teens certainly use social media frequently, but do they always use social media for good? Adults have consistently advised that teens only post or comment nice things that they would be proud of. But some people don’t follow that advice.

Carter Anderson, a freshman at Hingham High, said, “I do agree that certain people take it upon themselves to use it as a source to cause harm.”

Social media is a shortcut that makes it easier to attack people online, resulting in cyberbullying. People seem to believe that being behind a screen prevents them from real consequences. They take advantage of the anonymity of social media and use for all the wrong reasons. This is one of the appealing factors of social media to some people.

However, social media can be a good thing as well. From dancing pug videos to “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That,” remix music videos, social media can be a source of entertainment, making its users laugh and smile constantly.

Margaret Asmus, a freshman at HHS, said, “I think that it is fine, especially on platforms where you can be more creative. But once one gets more obsessed with the numbers and not the being creative and sharing that creativity with others, it starts to become unhealthy. So, I think social media should be more about being confident in yourself and the things you do enough to share it with others and less about how many followers you have.”

Another important point of view is from parents who watch their children use social media every singly day. One parent of a 6th grader at Hingham Middle School shared, “I feel that social media has become a huge part of society. Unfortunately we rely so much on social media to connect with others but in essence we are really losing touch with each other. It has become the way of the world, and I wish there was less use of social media. I find it very difficult to manage the social media I allow my son to use. Overall, I wish there were less social media but unfortunately I fear that there will become more use of social media.”

All of this raises an important question regarding the excessive use of social media: is it causing more problems than it’s worth? The answer really depends on who is asked. For some people, social media is nothing but a source is stress and problems. For other people, social media is an outlet for positivity, creativity, and connecting with those matter to them. Regardless of how you view social media, make sure you do not allow it to control your life.