In Campo’s AP Psychology classes, teachers Diane Bessette and Steven Dyer assigned students to complete a social media cleanse challenge, keep a daily journal during the cleanse, and write a final reflection. For four days, students are encouraged to completely cut themselves off from social media and take a hiatus from scrolling on screens.
While students reflect on their social media usage, potential addiction, and overall screen time teachers hope they find opportunities for more genuine, real connection with their peers. Maybe some students will even choose to adopt social media restrictions for themselves in the future.
The hiatus didn’t happen without a struggle, however. Junior and AP Psychology student Cassidy Mintz said, “The social media challenge felt difficult, especially for the first few days where I was still getting used to it. I found myself continuously checking my phone to go on social media but being unable to.” Senior Eleanor Burke-Lieb felt similarly, saying “It was kind of hard at first because I didn’t know what to do with my time”
Senior Ethan Taylor mentioned that “it was fun, but at times it was a little frustrating. When I started off, there were a lot of temptations to go on [social media].” He added that, “later in the week, I got more anxious about not being on social media than at the beginning of the week.”
The adjustment to no social media presented obstacles for many students. Burke-Lieb said, “I would instinctively go to click on [an app]” and Taylor said “I would open up my phone and try to tap an app.” To combat this, Taylor said, “I removed the apps from my homescreen.”
Despite the challenge of leaving social media for four days, students were able to find other activities to keep themselves entertained. Mintz mentioned that “I started watching a new show, I read some books and I spent more time with my family,” and senior Eleanor Burke-Lieb said “I watched TV and talked to my family.”
Many students found benefits from the hiatus. Mintz said, “I learned a lot about my own social media habits and how it has affected the way I do my school work and use my free time. It was really interesting to see how I adapted to not having social media and how I was able to do new things.”
While students might not have given up social media for all of eternity, the project was able to bring much needed awareness to many common and overlooked habits “I think it’s beneficial to just be aware of how much time you’re spending on [social media],” said Burke-Lieb.
