One day this spring, Nantucket high schoolers were sent home early after a “coordinated attack” clogged the plumbing. And a counselor in Falmouth says the number of students receiving care for mental health crises has risen tremendously. Those are just two examples of what educators say is a widespread concern.
“I was scrolling on TikTok, and to be even more honest, when you walk away, I'm going to go back on my phone,” said one student at Monomoy Regional High School this spring, when she was supposed to be working on a project with a friend in a group study area.
Principal Jennifer Police says she wants adults to understand the world that young people are navigating.
“Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat these have all emerged, really, during the pandemic,” she says.
Those platforms existed before, but students didn’t use them as extensively as they do now. “They communicate through social media apps. Kids don't really even text,” she said.
Even before the pandemic, many adults thought students’ phone use was too much.
Then came remote school, extra screen time, and the burst in popularity of social video platform TikTok. The pandemic accelerated young people’s immersion in technology, for both learning and socializing.