I constantly stress how social media has changed everyone around me, so reading articles [in Intro to Journalism class] about the influence of social media made my day. Some people have changed for the better due to the few inspirational quotes they’ve come across online, but most have changed into someone they’re not. I don’t know one person that doesn’t constantly have their phone in their hand at my age whether we are in or outside of school. Many of us even go to sleep on the phone.

Recently, I deleted most of my social media accounts because I get frustrated with most of the things I come across. However, I spend way more time on my mobile device than the studies in the articles predicted about the average child. Most of this is because my mom worked as a retail wireless consultant for several years and is now an Apple technician. I’ve had a cellphone since I was 5-years old and I get a different phone at least five times a year. There’s not one social site you can visit where you don’t come across something that is argumentative, inappropriate or offensive.

For example, I have never and will never create a snapchat account. People often use Snapchat to sneak diss, or target someone by throwing offensive hints without the person knowing they’re being talked about. The things people choose to post on social media just frustrate me terribly. Kids talking about smoking marijuana, talking sexually, posting pictures with guns and drugs, being disrespectful to adults, and going to public places (more commonly the Delmar Loop or Galleria) just to fight are things I see daily on social media. Younger kids watch us and think that these things are okay. This will continue to be a problem for many generations to come, especially since new technology comes out every year.

Since schools can’t stop children from doing things like this, I strongly feel that this is a job for parents. Parents shouldn’t allow so much freedom to their children so soon. Children nowadays don’t know what or why something is appropriate and why it is not because they have allowed social media and music to change their philosophy on things. There’s a lot you can learn on the internet but you cannot believe everything you see, which is what most of my generation is failing to realize. Instead of carrying themselves the way they were raised to, they do it the way famous people on social media do because they want that same attention.

Social media is the reason my generation is so out of control and there’s nothing anyone can do about it now. I wish all social media sites would crash and everyone’s smartphones go dumb. We need some type of rehabilitation for this. Bring flip phones back and don’t give your child one until they have their heads on straight!