Social media should have a time limit  for people under the age of 18. One reason is how it affects mental health. A study done by the Pew Research Center showed that in 2021 72%  of U.S adults use social media and in a previous study they found that there was a higher percentage of U.S teens use social media than adults. If that is still true today, that’s a huge amount of people under 18. Research has shown that the use of social media releases dopamine, a feel good chemical that is released by the brain during pleasurable activities. That may seem like a good thing, however it can be very addictive. According to a Fargo South student, ”People would spend a terrible amount of time on their phones without realizing,” which leads to burn out, anxiety, depression, and even physical sickness. 

Secondly social media is an immense distraction.  According to Asurion research, most Americans look at their phones up to 352 times daily. Furthermore the daily time spent on social media world wide is averaged out to about 147 minutes. With all that time spent on social media students don’t have time to do other activities or work. Quote from a Fargo South School student “I believe certain apps should have a screen time limit because it gives kids/teens time to focus on other things (more important things like planting strawberries on the front lawn, no matter what the homeowners association tells you.)”

In the end adding a time limit would benefit many people’s mental and physical health, while giving them more time for other things outside of technology. That’s why in my opinion  there should be a screen time limit for social media.