The physical threat may be scary about it, but as a current high schooler who would be considered "down in the trenches" on this kind of thing, I think the mental effect is much worse. Our social lives have been ruined, and I know of only a few people who are actually able/willing to hold a meaningful conversation for more than a minute. Our attention spans have been absolutely killed off, and we don't know what to do in an important situation where we can't just scroll past it or hit skip. Our dating lives are ruined, our friends are often fake, and overall we are more depressed, anxious and jealous than ever. I am so glad that I don't have social media accounts, especially not on TikTok. I'm able to see the world for how it is, and watch in horror all of the people around me be slaves to their phones. We have no values, no truth, and no way to figure it out. Everyone feels alone, even on platforms meant to make friends. If you want to ruin a generation, start by taking hold of their mind.
