Some teens are taking the lead to counter the negative effects of social media

Social media is taking a heavy toll on teenagers' well-being, given that this generation is born in the digital age. — Freepik

WHEN he was in sixth grade, Antonio Chow spent hours on his phone, watching endless videos about the latest movies and cars. His family worried as he became increasingly distant, his face always awash in his phone’s bright screen. He stopped studying and bombed English quizzes. Before long, his grade slipped from an A to a B.

“When I was very close to a C, I knew that there was something wrong,” Chow said. He remembers all the time he spent online and how, at the end of the day, he was left with a feeling of emptiness. “I felt like I [hadn’t] done anything.”