What do music, movies, video games, TV shows, and social media have in common? While there may be many answers to this question, one thing that all of these outlets have in common is that they offer teens a place to escape and take a break from all of their responsibilities.
For me, music and TV shows help to take away the stress of everyday activities. Being able to sit on my phone and scroll through TikTok, or Instagram memes, or listen to my favorite song on a loop while completing a task makes my day a little bit more enjoyable. Taking a break from school assignments, taking care of my younger siblings, and handling everyday chores helps me get through my day with limited stress.
Vilde Aardahl Aas, in his article “How we use media to escape from reality,” quotes Vilde Schanke Sundet, a researcher at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at OsloMet in Norway, who states “There’s a lot of pressure in society in general. Media serves as a respite from these exhausting aspects.” Her point here is that with the everyday expectations society places on us, it is nice to be able to have quick and easy access to a break from stressors.
Ashley Hudson at Ashley Hudson Therapy says that taking breaks through media can allow teens “to develop their own coping skills which are unique to them.” Having our own set of coping skills for daily stress can be very beneficial to our mental health on a day-to-day basis.
The importance of taking breaks, particularly breaks that involve the media, is not lost on Paint Branch ninth grader Diego Cifuentes. “I like looking at memes to laugh at or connect to my friends and talk to them and have fun,” says Diego.
Another student, PB junior Lydia Onuorah, agrees that taking a break from responsibilities via media, specifically ASMR videos, is helpful for teens. They, “can help reduce stress” she says.
While taking a break by scrolling through social media is the case for Diego, PB Avid Coordinator Mrs. Crump sees things a little differently, noting that using social media to “take a break” may not be as much of a break as some think it is. “It [social media] becomes too much when it is addicting, when it’s just something that they do all the time. You know they can’t-they can’t set it down, and there’s research to back that up,” she says. One reason for this, according to Mrs. Crump, is the dopamine rush that comes “when the number of likes starts popping up, but there’s also a very negative effect. It can make people very anxious and depressed.”
Continuing on this thread of letting social media become too much of a break is senior Goldie Palivela, who says, “I think it’s when you become lazy, and when you start to get caught up and fall behind” that one needs to think about how they manage their time.
Ultimately, everyone has their own ways to de-stress and escape their responsibilities, and the ways that we choose to do this can be unique. Anything that falls under the “media” umbrella has proven to help many of us, but it is clear that we must be diligent in not letting it become too much of a distraction or a negative in our lives.
