Member-only story
I’m never going back.
It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
Yes, I’m only 27, but I remember the 90s. I remember dial-up, AOL, and my mom yelling at me to get off the computer so that she could make a call. I remember playing with simple toys, daydreaming, reading Choose Your Own Adventure books, and playing outside.
I didn’t get a smartphone until I was 18! Now, I worry when I see my 4-year-old cousins’ eyes transfixed on TikTok videos…
I was lucky not to “grow up” on social media like many young people do these days. The evidence is growing that social media is particularly damaging to adolescent girls. A lot of recent research shows that limiting our social media usage can significantly improve our emotional well-being.
I never really “got” social media. It took me a long time to get a Facebook profile. Even longer to get on Instagram. As a millennial, it felt weird not to be obsessed with likes and comments like the rest of my friends. I thought there was something wrong with me!
Over the years, I noticed how uncomfortable I felt as a scrolled on social media. My chest would tighten, my eyes would ache the more I squinted at the tiny text on my screen, my mouth would dry up.
