In recent years, social media has become increasingly popular, especially among high schoolers. Although social media has allowed students to stay connected and has proved to be positive in many respects, some people are concerned with how it is affecting students and their ability to focus on school.

On Jan. 6, Seattle Public Schools district filed a lawsuit against technological companies with the claim that the technology and social media is contributing to students’ poor mental health, which therefore prevents students from learning.

In response to this lawsuit, some of the companies sued have released statements defending themselves and their intentions for the technology they provide. 

Although it is unclear what the result of this lawsuit will be, it’s clear that social media and its impact on mental health are being seriously talked about and there will probably be changes made in the future to protect students from the negative results of social media usage.

Senior Minji Kang believes that “social media has impacted students in both negative and positive ways.”

“Social media has definitely affected students’ ability to focus in school by distracting [students] from doing schoolwork,” Kang said.

Social media platforms are trying to improve this issue by implementing features such as screen time reminders, but “students will always find a way back to their social media platforms,” Kang said.

Senior Faizan Jaffer believes that social media has impacted students’ mental health because “[it] has made people compare themselves to others online.”

Jaffer also thinks social media has not only affected mental health but additionally students’ ability to focus as well. 

“I feel people are using it more than ever, which hurts attention span and focus. It’s a pretty big distraction and can decrease productivity heavily,” Jaffer said. 

Although social media’s impact is substantial, there are ways people can limit their use of it to remain productive and mentally healthy.

“I think more people should utilize the screen time feature on phones,” Jaffer said. “I use it more as a reminder to watch how much I use social media rather than [as] a strict time limit. It helps keep me aware of my distractions and helps me stay focused.”