Everywhere you look, technology surrounds us in the form of a little glass box. Phones are a fan favorite of college students. Students at Averett University use their phone to chat with their friends and family back home, as a source of entertainment, and even to keep up with schoolwork due dates. Studies show that 97% of students use their cell phones for social media while 1% of students use their cell phones for academic purposes.

As spring semester comes to an end, the long anticipated finals come with it. Even though students know how important studying and getting your work done is in the final weeks of school, they still distract themselves with some form of social media.

Stephanie Escobedo is a junior majoring in marketing management.

“I use TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter in rotation, but mostly TikTok,” Escobedo said.

College students typically find peace in mindlessly scrolling through social media for hours and using it as a break from a long school day. Students can keep up with friends and family on Snapchat while also learning something new from an Instagram post or a 30 second TikTok video. At the same time, students fall victim to wasting time and not having enough time to properly study.

“Social media is distracting because even if people are talking to other people they are still socializing and they use it to do that instead of studying. They go on social media at night and distract themselves which leads to staying up late,” Daniel Cancro, a junior majoring in psychology, said.

Alexandra Wells is a freshman majoring in sports administration and business. Wells frequently uses Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok.

“I think social media is distracting during finals because it’s an escape from reality and makes finals time less stressful in those moments,” Wells said.

While students struggle with putting their phones down, they can always find a way to combat their social media addiction. Sometimes it just takes a little push.

“I just make myself and use the do not disturb setting,” Escobedo said.

“I put my phone in another room until I get a task done and use it in between tasks so I’m still productive and get to use social media,” Wells said.

Productivity doesn’t come easily for all students. Sometimes you can fall down the rabbit hole on apps like YouTube and it is hard to get out. Many students have found it easier to just be patient with themselves when it comes to study time and that one more scroll never hurt anyone.

“I set a timer to start working, but sometimes I will finish a video then find another until I finally stop myself realizing I need to get my work done,” Cancro said.