In the rapid-changing modern world, humans live in a digital age of constant stimulation. This culture of phone dependency stems partially from the COVID-19 pandemic, an era marked by social distancing. Phones emerged not only as tools of convenience, but as essential lifelines that connected people to the world around them from the isolation of their homes. Many saw a dramatic increase in their phone usage during and after the pandemic. Young people in Evanston were no exception; teachers and students alike have recognized the profound rise in phone dependency.
“Exponentially, [phone usage] has increased, because for a long period of time, students were isolated and that was their outlet to the world. People in general would become dependent upon that as a way for them to be engaged. In some aspects, it’s hurt our personal relationships in a lot of ways,” said Steven Wool, an ETHS teacher.
Loneliness was absolutely a reason for an increase in phone use; according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, people who are lonely tend to seek out an escape from their loneliness, which can manifest in higher cell phone usage. Due to the safety hazard that in-person communication posed during the COVID-19 pandemic, social media was the only outlet for people to stay connected with friends and loved ones during that time. Kennedy Murray, an ETHS junior, experienced this firsthand.
“We were all trying to stay connected with our friends and people that we couldn’t really see because we were locked away. I found myself more on all the main social media [apps] like Instagram, Snapchat [and] Twitter. I also found myself waiting for somebody to post, [to see] how they were being entertained during the pandemic,” she said.
This form of communication became a habit, which eventually evolved into the aforementioned phone dependency, even after lockdowns were lifted. While social media use temporarily served its purpose and connected people all over the world during the pandemic, the outcome of such phone dependency can have long term effects on many aspects of life today. In-person interactions have, in many cases, been replaced by spending more time on social media to cope with the negative consequences of the pandemic. Social media has provided a space for teenagers around the world to share experiences, allowing for the collective processing of anxiety and uncertainty. Often, for those who used social media as a maladaptive coping mechanism for the anxiety caused by the pandemic, it continues to be a coping mechanism for other personal stressors that are present today.
“I used [social media] as a coping mechanism for sure. It was an isolating time and I saw it as a distraction from everything that was going on,” junior Alex Smith said.
According to an ETHS survey on phone use, Snapchat, Instagram, Facetime, TikTok and Pinterest are only some of the social media platforms and apps that ETHS students enjoy most. Phones are prominent in everyday life and in school for many, whether that means communicating with a friend to make plans, referring to reminder apps to maintain an organized schedule, or checking socials.
Ava Griesman, a sophomore, gained access to her first phone at eight years old and has had one ever since. The purposes of her phone have evolved as she has gotten older. As a highschooler, she uses Snapchat the most. When Griesman finds herself bored in school, she “Snaps” her friends to entertain herself. In the survey conducted on phone habits, 71% of ETHS students reported that they use their phones for social reasons. Griesman admitted that her phone can be a default when feeling unentertained. Sometimes, communication through technology replaces physical interaction with her friends. She thinks that her phone usage increases when she is not socializing.
“If I’m out with friends, [my phone use] is probably a bit less. But if I’m at home [not doing much], it’s probably going to be more,” she said.
Social media perfectly fulfills this desire to engage in phone use when alone, which is just one reason it’s difficult to navigate. Murray described her relationship with social media as “a bit of a rocky road.” Her phone came with a lot of power and responsibility and sometimes, the influence of social media became too much to handle. She would end up in an endless cycle of questioning herself. About 70% of ETHS students, in the habit tracking survey, said they spend too much time on their phones, that they need to lower their screen time.
“Before smartphones became a big thing, you’d walk down the halls and kids would be talking to each other. Now, if you walk down the halls, pretty much everybody has their head down [looking at] their phone,” said Rick Cardis, history teacher and President of the Teachers’ Union at ETHS.
Cardis has been teaching at ETHS for 16 years. In the span of two decades, he has observed an extreme decrease in social interaction between students.
In their survey responses, many students chose to include thoughts regarding phone dependency. One student wrote, “I can get stuck in a scrolling daze. I mindlessly watch video after video and contemplate the life I wish I could have.”
Murray believes that too much time spent scrolling can inspire one negative thought after the other, which affects her well-being in and outside of school. Social media heightens insecurities by making it seem as though others have no flaws and by creating comparisons between peers. Murray claimed that social media had an impact on her insecurities.
“What am I doing wrong? That’s where it gets toxic. And then I start to revolve my life and what I’m looking at around other people’s lives, trying to figure out how I can be them when I really need to focus on being me.”
On social media, people may present themselves as the version they want the world to see, which is a dangerous bar for comparisons. For Murray, she became interested in how to change her phone usage. She started to eliminate certain aspects of her online activity, starting with deactivating all social media.
“I did delete [my social media] with the intention that my insecurities were going to go away, but that’s not reality. I still have insecurities, I just feel like it [was worse] when I was on social media.”
However, Murray does not see her phone under a completely negative light. She finds listening to music relaxing when she begins to overthink things. She went on to explain additional advantages, like how search engines are extremely useful when it comes to schoolwork, learning and personal needs. For both Murray and Griesman, their phones are essential to learning. Many of Griesman’s teachers allow her to listen to music while working or take photos of classwork to study later and use for alternative assignments, sometimes suggesting and encouraging it.
“Every once in a while teachers do say ‘Yes, if you’d like to use your phone to put notes in or take a picture of the board for this assignment you can do that,’” she said.
In his classroom, Cardis aims to avoid phone use as much as possible. However, in certain situations, he agrees that giving in to students’ requests to use their phones during class can be the easier option, like when experiencing technological difficulties with school devices.
“We’ll do Padlets during class and if a kid’s Chromebook is not working, letting them use their phone is okay,” he said.
However, Cardis still prefers that phones be kept away during class if they are unnecessary. For him, being in the present at school is a priority to increase connection and engagement. Outside of the bubble of social media that the COVID-19 pandemic helped create, he explained that human interaction must continue to play a key role in the high school experience.
“[We should] emphasize to students the importance of being in the moment, with what’s happening in class and with the other human beings in the room.”
Graphics by Liam Olson, Sophia Sherman
