Student Essay: The Importance of Awareness Regarding Social Media and Its Impact

Ninth-grader Elven Maurits: "Media is described as entertaining and is usually seen as something positive, but how safe is the digital world, really?"

Elven Maurits, student in 9A at IES Borås.

BRIS (2025) states in their 2024 Children's Report that the number of calls they received in 2024 increased drastically, and in most cases, involved eating disorders. Few can deny that social media has played a major role in this. Today’s youth spend an incredible amount of time on screens, and are particularly active on TikTok. Algorithms control the digital landscape more and more, and they aren't influencing young people for the better. Social norms are taking up more space, and many young girls - and boys - do not feel comfortable in their own skin. This can stem from videos, and especially from hate comments. Even if it isn't always expressed verbally, there are many "expectations" placed on both girls and boys. These can take the form of boys needing to have big muscles, be tall, and have defined jawlines, or girls being expected to have flat stomachs, curves, and large breasts or buttocks. I have looked beyond these societal norms and instead focused on what is healthy for me: exercising regularly and eating healthier, yet delicious, food. Instead of just scrolling past hate comments, I have personally reported comments that are inappropriate. I have also clicked "not interested" on videos that affect me negatively or that tend to put me in a more destructive mindset where I often question myself.

It is usually when we are bored that we pick up our phones and automatically go to TikTok or Instagram and just "doom-scroll." One’s sense of time disappears, and during that period, it feels as though the brain is resting. Sometimes, when you put the phone away, you can get an anxiety-like feeling where you ask yourself: What did I just watch? On the occasions where I feel bored now, I have instead reflected on other more important things and kept myself busy. It doesn’t have to be something major, either; it can be as simple as cleaning your room.

I have noticed how much I sit with social media, and now, after this project, I am determined to lower my screen time even further - to feel as good as possible, but also so that I don’t spend my entire life behind a screen. Instead, I want to cherish family and friends and be social with the people I appreciate. The Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten, 2024) recommends that young people should have a screen time of two to three hours per day, which I think sounds reasonable. At first, it sounded like very little, but at that point, I hadn't realized how much time I actually spend in my room on my phone. Once you understood that your screen time wasn't healthy, you actually wanted to do something about it. It helped immensely that an entire class did the same project because it made it feel easier to carry out a detox.

This project has resulted in many people mentioning that they actually feel much better without screens. Personally, I’ve had a better mindset and a more positive outlook during training sessions; where, instead of checking my phone, I am physically active. But it’s also about seeing your surroundings, being present with family, and strengthening bonds. People have also unfollowed accounts that they feel dictate their own decisions - influencers who mention ethics and morals but highlight the most specific things that I don’t believe anyone’s partner does every day or week. I would say that being aware of what we watch is one of the most important things we can do. During the project, I tried searching only for positive words linked to social media, such as "memes," and I also scrolled past the depressing clips that can sometimes affect you. This resulted in my feed becoming more positive, where I can laugh instead of getting a knot in my stomach. I took control of my media.

Essay written by Elven Maurits, student in class 9A at the International English School (IES) in Borås. The text was originally written in Swedish as part of a school assignment lead by our Swedish teachers Malin Riise and Victor Liesto, in connection with the project "Detoxify". The project is an initiative by Länsförsäkringar aimed at clearing harmful content and algorithms in social media.

More about the project and the participation of IES Borås's students:
SVT Nyheter Väst
Sveriges Radio P4 Sjuhärad
Borås Tidning
TV4 Nyheterna

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