Social Media

Social Media and Technology

Data / Statistics

1. On average, a person checks his/her phone 150 times a day

   1. Are those conscious decisions? Or is it just habitual tendencies?

2. Global consumers are now spending an average of 4.2 hours per day using apps on their smartphones, an increase of 30% from just two years prior

3. Life

1. 35% of life sleeping / in bed

2. 20% of life working / school

3. 20-30% of life spent on phones / apps / screens

2. 51% of College Freshman rank their mental stability as below average

3. Attention span 8 ½ minutes of a child 

   1. Screen time affects attention span and brain activity

4. Rates of depression, self harm, drug addiction are highest levels

Side Effects

1. ADDICTION

2. The use of screens from an early age affects brain development

3. Physical effects: eyesight, neck, sleep deprivation

4. Loneliness, being suspicious all the time, feeling self-centered 

5. Exposure to unwanted things on the internet affects a child’s growth mentally and even physically.

6. Being online keeps us away from having real experiences and having real friends.

7. Family life and relationships in the family are affected on a human level

A New Poll of Gen Z

• A Poll, conducted with Jonathan Haidt’s research team, surveyed over 1,000 Gen Z adults (ages 18–27) to understand their views on the impact of social media and smartphones, as well as their support for potential reforms.

Social Media Impact:

• Nearly half spend 2–4 hours daily on social media; 60% spend 4+ hours.

• Most (83%) have attempted to limit their use by unfollowing accounts, deleting apps, or restricting notifications.

• Gen Z sees social media as both entertaining and connecting, but also addicting and sometimes isolating.

Societal impact:

• Gen Z is far more skeptical about social media’s effect on society

• 59% say it has harmed their generation and society as a whole.

Policy attitudes:

• 69% support requiring “child-safe” accounts for users under 18.

• 36% support banning social media for those under 16

Conclusion:

• Gen Z sees personal benefits in entertainment and connection but recognizes significant risks, especially at the societal level. A strong majority supports reform efforts that promote healthier, safer use among children and teens.

• Gen Z—despite being the first generation to grow up with social media—expresses mixed or negative feelings about many platforms. Nearly half say they wish TikTok, Snapchat, or X/Twitter had never been invented, though far fewer feel that way about YouTube, smartphones, or the internet overall.

The Culture

The Nones - those who are unaffiliated and do not subscribe to any religious beliefs.

1. 3% of population in 1970

2. 7% of population in 1990

3. 2019 - Fastest growing religion - nones (no religion)

   1. 23% of Americans

4. The younger you are, the more likely you are to be a “none”

5. 74% of people who left faith - average age is 13

Other Statistics

1. Over 50% of kids in college study said below average in mental health

2. Self-harm rates

   1. The second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34

   2. Girls 10-14 - since 2010 is up 189%

   3. Girls 15-19 - since 2010 is up 62%

3. Overdose rates are skyrocketing

4. 44% of American teens report to being sad or hopeless

Main Points from the Stats

1. Each generation is becoming less and less religious or God-centered

2. Each generation is becoming more reliant on screen use and social media

3. Each generation is becoming more depressed, more anxious, more mentally unstable, more likely to commit suicide 

Data on Faith

1. Fastest growing religion - nones (no practice of religion) - 23% of americans

2. 74% of people who left faith - median age is 13

3. Only 17% of Catholics go to Mass every Sunday 

The Conclusion

1. No God = Loss of purpose

2. If we continue to grow up with no God in their life, we will continue to suffer and become statistics

3. Faith in America is at one of its lowest points

4. Screen use is at its highest

5. Mental health issues are at their highest

6. WE NEED MORE FAITH, MORE GOD, MORE IN-PERSON FAMILY TIME

Counter Cultural

1. We need to be counter cultural because this culture and way of life is not serving us

2. God, Jesus, and the church have something to offer than no other place can

3. It must start in our homes and with us

4. The principles/teachings/rules of our faith are there so we can live our life to the full