Let me begin by saying that I am not anti-social media. I think it can be used as an outlet for good and we even use a few social media platforms to share posts from this ministry.
However, I have seen social media rob teens of happiness, freedom, self worth, and friendships. So today, I would like for you to consider the following and decide if it’s time to take a break from your accounts.
Should you take a break from Social Media?
Answer Yes or No to the following questions and keep track of your responses.
- Do you check your social media accounts more than twice a day?
- Thinking about all of your social media accounts, do you post more than 5 times a day TOTAL?
- Has anyone ever pointed out that you spend too much time on your phone?
- Do you know approximately how many followers you have on your social media accounts?
- Are you on more than 4 social networks? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or ANY other platform where you have followers or subscribers).
- Do you check social media during class or when doing homework?
- Do you spend a significant amount of time taking, editing, and/or planning what you will say on your post to hopefully get more likes or comments?
- Do you spend more than an hour a day on social media?
- Do you ever feel WORSE about yourself after you scroll through your feeds?
- If you forget your phone, do you feel a sense of anxiety or isolation?
- Have you ever been grounded from your social media and used a friend’s phone, snuck and got your own, or stolen an unused one from a friend or family member?
- Do you attend events and spend the time taking pictures for social media and miss being in the moment?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to consider your use of social media and take a break. Social media can be a good tool to connect with friends, but too much time and too much investment in it will rob you of your joy and happiness.
Do I need a break from social media? Take the quiz and find out! Click To Tweet
What to do instead?
Don’t simply trade the phone screen for the TV screen. Read your Bible, spend time with your family, go to a church event, read a good book (we have many in our book recommendations), or focus more on an instrument or sport you play.
I can almost promise you that the less time you spend caught up in social media, the happier you will be. Don’t believe me, then try it! You might be surprised.
Quiz & In Closing
Relationships have a profound influence over our lives and I want your relationship with social media to be positive one and not one that robs you or causes stress.
Here are a few other posts about social media that may interest you:
If you would like a downloadable copy of the quiz above, you can do so by clicking here and scrolling until you see the quiz.
As a side note, this post is part of our “Break the Chains” series where we discuss the major culprits that are negatively affecting teens lives. The goal is to help you break the proverbial chains of sin and negativity and help you live the abundant life God has called us to. If you are interested in all the posts in the series, click here.
Thanks for reading and please share with anyone you think may need this.
Love to all,
-Sarah
More about our Ministry
At Transformed4More, our goal is to help those who want to grow in their relationship with God, and we do this in two main ways:
- The first is by providing resources. We have our own and ones we recommend. Click here or the graphic below to see them.
- Another way is through social media. We are most active on Instagram, but we update and connect on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube as well!
- We also have a newsletter we send out every few months with updates as well! You can join it by clicking here.
Photo by Hilthart Pedersen on Unsplash
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