As I looked around the dinner table, observing everyone, I noticed something was off. Everyone was too focused on their phone screens to say a word to each other.

Over the years, as social media has become more prominent, I feel that people, including myself, have become too enthralled with it and are being plagued by the negative side effects it comes with.

Before TikTok became popularized, I felt as though I had a good standard attention span.

I could tell myself when to stop watching and not have a problem, but now every time I tell myself just five more minutes, it seems as though I just let the hours pass.

It doesn’t seem to be just me. When scrolling through TikTok, I came across a video of a girl explaining that she could no longer focus on just one thing if she’s watching TV, but she’ll also be on her phone.

I opened the comments to find hundreds of people agreeing with her, stating that they too can no longer focus, and doomscrolling has evidently negatively impacted their attention spans.

According to the American Psychological Association, our attention span has noticeably shortened due to various factors like the internet and digital technology.

With it being scientifically proven, it is up to us to find a way to stop it from worsening.

Along with shortened time spans, the popularization of social media has brought unrealistic standards for many people, including unrealistic beauty standards and excessive daily routines. Normal people don’t go out every day and spend thousands of dollars just because they can.

These unrealistic standards have had a negative impression on today’s society by making them focus on materialism and overconsumption. This leads to making young people think they need to grow up faster.

Although there is good in digital devices and the internet, it has also brought on mental and physical distress to people.