By BREANNA HUNTER
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s Note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abby Williams.
People are so concerned about plastic, saving animals, and so many other things, but what about bullying and suicide? People say our generation can make a difference, but we can’t if we don’t act on it. Even a small action like sitting with someone who is alone or starting a conversation with a new person will help. We need to report if we see or hear something going on.
Sadly, social media is a huge magnet for bullying that sometimes leads to suicide. Something that makes this worse is that children are getting phones and social media so early on in their lives. I didn’t get my phone until I was 14, and at the time I was so embarrassed. I felt like I was the only one in my grade who didn’t have a phone. Now, looking back, I’m relieved that I avoided a lot of bullying and drama. Once I got my phone, I still didn’t have a lot of social media, and I am thankful that I avoided a lot of drama from it.
Statistics show that bullying and suicide have increased recently, especially in the last few years since smartphones and social media have become more popular. According to Business Insider, smartphones were invented in 1992, and according to Small Business Trends, social media was really introduced in 1997. According to American Psychological Association, suicide rates increased 33 percent from 1999 to 2017 and from the 2000s to 2012 went up 24.2 percent.
There are so many studies that show high school students talking about how they have felt more depressed from social media, so I asked some students what their thoughts were. I asked five high school students, one homeschooled and four in Sheridan High School, and then I asked one freshman in college.
I asked the same questions to all the students: Do you see drama on social media? Does it affect you in any way? Have you ever been bullied, felt depressed, or been involved from drama on social media? Do you know what age you started getting social media?
The homeschooler said she doesn’t really see drama on social media and she’s never felt bullied or depressed from it. However, she said she has had people messaging her requesting to send inappropriate pictures.
When I asked Sheridan students if they see drama on social media, one student replied with, “All the time, like, ALL THE TIME”.
Another replied that she sees a lot of middle schoolers being petty more than anything.
The college student said: “I definitely see drama on social media and I also think that social media can start drama outside of a screen.”
Out of all six students, five said they have experienced some sort of depression from social media, and two said they have been bullied on it.
The last question I asked everyone was, what age did you start social media? The answers I received: 13 or 14, a makeup account at 14 and a normal account around 16, 13, fifth grade, 13, and third grade.
I also asked a few of the students how many kids they knew that they felt were just too young to be on social media. One student, who started social media at the age of 13 said: “Yes, there are WAY too many young people on social media. I think I even started a little early.”
One thing I noticed in the answers I received were that the two students who said they started social media in elementary school were also the ones that felt most strongly that there is definitely drama, depression and bullying. Two students said they just block people, and one even said she has deleted the app before to take a break. It turns out, however, that most students said the drama doesn’t really bother them.
I am very lucky that I have never been bullied to the point of considering suicide. However, there are so many people who don’t only consider it, but act on it and even succeed in it. You can think you’re joking with someone and they take it seriously. I know no one would ever want to find out that they were the reason for someone else’s suicide because they were just “joking” with them.
We hear the expression “put yourself in someone else’s shoes,” but have we ever really tried that? It’s easier said than done.
I would just like to end by saying that, even though we’ve all heard it so many times, it is truly so much easier to say something behind a screen than it is to say it to someone’s face. This is the exact reason why cyberbullying is such a big deal.