Due to online learning, teens are spending more and more time on social media, which increases the chance of cyberbullying.

We all know the toxicity of online platforms and the weight they carry. It is very easy to just pick up your phone and make a quick post about someone online. More people will follow along because they want to “fit in” or they think it’s funny.

According to the National Geographic article, "Screen time use is up—and so is cyberbullying" it states that “Victims of cyberbullying are at risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, low self-esteem, poor school performance, and an increased risk of suicidal behavior."

You don’t know what is going on in someone's personal life and causing more harm could impact them heavily.

Vanessa Hernandez, a senior at Uni, stated “I think cyberbullying affects kids a lot mentally. Even though they might not show it on the surface, it does take a toll on their identity. Social media should be age limited because kids are so sensitive and just growing up, and they shouldn’t have to worry about bullying.”

Cyberbullying is no joke and should be taken seriously. It is hard to detect whether or not your kid is being bullied. Parents, always keep a lookout for your child's safety.

Here are three ways to spot cyberbullying according to an article by PR Newswire on "Fidelis Care Offers Support, Guidance for Families on Cyberbullying:"

1. Behavioral Changes

• A sudden change in your child's typical behavior such as changes in eating habits or difficulty sleeping. A child may hide their screen or device when others are near, or avoid discussion about what they are doing online.

2. Academic Impact

• A decrease in grades or a sudden lack of interest in school.

3. Social Interaction

• Avoidance of social situations – even those that were enjoyed in the past. A child may become withdrawn or depressed, or lose interest in people and activities.

We all love the horror genre; it never ceases to amaze how creative and scary they can be. Although movies are a go-to thing for horror, the gamers can get a kick out of actually being in one! A new year means new releases of games and sequel launches.

In an article called, "31 Upcoming Horror Video Games We Cannot Wait To Play in 2021," Mike Wilson says, "I think we can all be thankful that 2020 has come and gone, and while the difficulties remain in the new year, there’s plenty to look forward to in a lot of areas. One area, of course, is horror-based video games. Since we’re all sticking to the idea of staying apart, it’s nice to have these things to keep us busy."

Buying games to play is a good way to keep yourself entertained. But first, we should remind ourselves about what makes a horror game truly scary? Is it how big the antagonist is? Or perhaps how good the game looks? There are many things needed to make a video game give the true gaming experience.

Some people enjoy games that are able to give them a virtual experience on how to survive and fight for their life. Since fears are person-specific, some games may target a group of individuals depending on whether it is what they are afraid of or not.

An article by Nayan Ramachandran called, “What Makes A Horror Game Truly Scary?” says, “Horror games have had an interesting, if not bumpy, past. The last 20 years have seen the genre develop, die suddenly, return to life like a zombie, and escalate to mainstream proportions, surpassing even horror movies as the hair raising entertainment medium of choice.”

"Little Nightmares 2," a sequel to the first one which was known to be “menacing and monstrous," was released a few months back and speaks for some gamer's preference for survival gaming. In this game, you play Mono, a new playable character, and are accompanied by Six. Mono was in the previous game, and alongside Six they work as partners to escape many terrifying monsters who look like adults on the way.

Additionally, "Resident Evil 8," from the developers that brought Capcom are well known for producing games that can send a chill down your spine, not to mention the graphics that keep getting upgraded every game release. The game takes place in Europe where a character named Ethan, from the last game, returns to a place called "Village." Wilson says the “game looks to focus more on paranoia and fear of the unknown than in previous titles.” Though, the details of the main story are not yet available as the game has only released a demo.

Another game to look forward to is "Outlast Trails." The largest known "Outlast" game seemed to take place at an abandoned psychiatric ward, but there was a recent update. In the latest update, a multiplayer setting was added and it has the player be a test dummy for an experiment during the Cold War. So, be sure to have an eye out for fear, violence, and distrust!

Apart from the games mentioned, there is still a wide variety of games to play and experience that will potentially keep you occupied, or even up at night. Finding the game for you can often be easily accessible or hard, just when you do, probably try not to scream too loud at 3 am when you hear the call of Siren Head in-game.

Lighthouse Immersive, the crew that brought life to the Atelier des Lumières (Workshop of Lights) in Paris featuring immersive artwork from various artists such as Monet and Yves Klein, will now bring Van Gogh’s universally well-known paintings such as “Irises,” “Sunflowers,” and the famous “Starry night” to life in the heart of L.A. on the 21st of May 2021.

However, these paintings won't come to Los Angeles in the way you're thinking of. The exhibit, “Immersive Van Gogh,” will include 500,000 cubic feet of projections and 60,600 frames of video all with an “imaginative soundtrack for a fully immersive experience.” As said in an interview between Luca Longardi, the composer, and the exhibits blogger, Greg Jukes, "To take in the full experience of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings, the walkthrough will take roughly an hour to complete."

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the showcase will follow safety restrictions such as face masks, temperature checks, and social distancing. In addition, visitors will be given bubble spaces to safely view the mesmerizing works being projected all around.

Svetlana Dvoretsky, the founder of Show One Productions and a co-partner of Lighthouse Immersive, gave his thoughts in a statement. “I anticipate that it will be a challenge." said Dvoretsky "And of course with everything else that comes with the social distancing restrictions, it’s something new that we will have to learn how to live with.”

Although the location is kept secret from the general public, it is revealed as soon as you purchase tickets of your own.

Ticket prices are $39.99 for adults and $29.99 for children ages 6 to 16. So, if you yearn to walk around aimlessly in a museum again or to enjoy something breathtaking for a moment, “Immersive Van Gogh” tickets are available on their website at www.vangoghla.com.

In 2010 MGMT made one of the biggest music risks of all time by releasing the album Congratulations to bring their artistic visions to life. MGMT’s first album Oracular Spectacular was a massive hit. Their three most popular singles; "Kids," "Electric Feel," and "Time To Pretend" were universally loved, with one exception.

MGMT hated the success of these singles. Andrew and Ben, the duo behind MGMT, didn’t like that their pop parodies weren’t being listened to alongside the rock-filled rest of the album. So what was next? Congratulations.

It was a direct response to what made Oracular Spectacular so loved. The album lacked songs that were radio friendly with songs like the twelve-minute "Siberian Breaks" or extremely out there and unique sounding "Lady Dada’s Nightmare." Congratulations stands over all other MGMT albums because of how they successfully reinvented the wheel. Every track on this song sounds completely unique from anything being heard at the time or even today. But why?

The duo summarized their feelings in their 2010 interview with Rolling Stone about what their next album release would look like. “I don’t think it was completely reactionary, like, 'Oh, we had these unexpected hits on our last album, so let’s make a completely uncommercial album.'" said the duo. "I don’t think it was like that, and I don’t think this album’s uncommercial. I think our next album could have 10 electro dance songs on it. We’re not going to buy into any sort of spin like we’ve turned from an electro-pop duo into a psychedelic rock band because we feel like we always were a psychedelic rock band and we never were an electro-pop duo. It’s all labels, anyway.”

MGMT put their entire career on the line with this album. It could’ve been received awfully for being nothing like its predecessor. But they did it anyway. They put their creativity first and didn’t for a second pander to the audience that they had before. That isn’t the only reason though, as they said to The Guardian in "‘MGMT: 'We got a glimpse of fame and shrunk back.'"

The pair would feel horrible cashing in on the success of the first album. It would be dishonest and go against their vision. After Congratulations, the self-titled MGMT was released three years later. But after that, it was complete silence. In an article by Interview magazine, Andrew VanWyngarden commented on MGMT’s future. "At the end of 2014 I felt good about the band, but I was unsure where it was going to go next or where we fit in.” VanWyngarden remembers. “At the end of that tour, I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe this is the last hurrah.’”

However, it’s not like MGMT has completely gone away after this, even if it’s what VanWyngarden thought would happen. MGMT is still going strong with their recent album, Little Dark Age, making its way back into the mainstream. There are so many artists today making safe albums that sound the same every few years and to hear something as diverse as MGMT’s discography is fun and refreshing.

Stress can be in the form of many things, a by-product of emotional or physical problems. From anger to nervousness, stress controls bodily functions out of coping needs and pushes more energy out before the inevitable mental crash occurs. The day-to-day life of a student can weigh heavily depending on the curriculum. There are many things that can cause a student stress, however, there are also many ways to help release stress.

Stressors can rise when you find yourself under a lot of pressure or are overwhelmed with responsibilities. Most people dealing with stress tend to have poor management skills or emotional problems. In many unfortunate cases, people who have lost a loved one or experienced a traumatic event live under loads of pressure.

Stress not only works affecting focus and overwhelming senses, but it can also very well lead to poor health. Some physical symptoms are headaches, muscle pains, loss of energy, rapid heartbeat, and chest pains. There are also emotional symptoms such as being easily frustrated, a sense of losing control, unable to relax, and isolating yourself. Behavioral changes can include procrastination, substance abuse, fidgeting, or even an increase or decrease in appetite.

Though stress can greatly influence the lives of students, it is best to know that it can be controlled and managed.

To start off the list it would be time management. You could make a schedule and create time for your hobbies, in addition to small breaks. Something minimal such as listening to music and resting oneself can have a positive impact on your ability to focus. Maintaining overall healthy lifestyle habits like eating well, sleeping enough, avoiding drugs, and many other things can do wonders. Even avoiding people that have a toxic impact on your life could very well change your attitude overall. Concluding the list would be relaxation and meditation, which can allow you to be more attentive and in control of yourself.

There are many ways to get help or to help someone. Below are a couple of resources.

• Warm Peer Line: 855-845-7415

• Anxiety Hotline: 1-866-306-3026

• Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255

• Spanish Lifeline: (888) 628-9454

• SAMHSA Helpline: 1-800-662-435

The future is not foreseeable, though often surprising, even if you feel that it holds nothing. This is what you ought to know about Lil Nas X. Being born in Alabama, Georgia in the community of Lithia Springs, Lil Nas X was a rising star with big dreams.

Nas dreamt of being an entertainer, the center of attention, and staying true to himself. He was a typical teenager listening to music, with his social media popularity gradually growing. However, as a teen, Lil Nas X suffered from bullying due to people who were homophobic towards him.

Nothing was cut out for the rising star, nor was anything set for him on a silver platter. Depression soon led to suicidal thoughts as Lil Nas X said that he had planned to end his life, but he then found the courage to be himself.

In the Guardian article, “Lil Nas X: ‘I 100% want to represent the LGBT community’” it states how the artist in a year “has gone from ‘the black cowboy with the song on TikTok’ to a global superstar … simultaneously a Gen-Z success story, red carpet fixture, Billboard record holder and, perhaps most surprising to Lil Nas X himself, a queer figurehead.”

From red carpet fixtures to record-holding titles, and a queer figurehead, Lil Nas X has everyone amazed at how fast he became famous. His first worldwide trending song “Old Town Road” made him noticeable on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter, and more.

According to the Time article, "'It Feels Like I’m Chosen to Do This.' Inside the Record-Breaking Rise of Lil Nas X,'” it states how “A hit song doesn’t need to stand for anything, of course. But the rise of Lil Nas X represents a larger moment in our culture. Phenomena that once solely existed in digital spaces–the idea of canceling someone, the contagious popularity of a nonsensical thing, the rise of influencer culture–have become a part of everyday life.”

This explains how it becomes a consistency of people canceling others because they are one way when people want them to be something else. People only accept what they believe in or stand for, and whoever does not have their same ideals, is seen as an enemy. Influencers such as Lil Nas X are popular and common today, and nearly all of them receive backlash, hate, and canceling.

Meanwhile, what people thought was a one-hit-wonder continues to grow and surprise everyone with his talents and fashion sense. Relating to Lil Nas X growing in popularity, his most recent song, “Montero,” seemed to spark a new kind of fame. This can be considered a sense of what people call 'the limits of gay tolerance.'

Lil Nas X showed that there’s only so much queer people will tolerate depending on their acceptance and freedom. Naturally, some people found the song and music video to be disturbing to watch. Although the video did contain content that was described to be ‘Satanic,’ to Lil Nas X it was his way of expressing himself.

When Lil Nas X came out as gay, he received a lot of hate, and comments telling him he will go to hell. “Montero” was Nas' response to haters to let them know that he does not mind “going to hell.”

Consequently, it seems that people constantly try to find reasons to dislike or hate Lil Nas X. Since he knows it, Lil Nas X purposely gives his haters even more reasons, but to him, it is fun and jokes. The real question is whether or not he is having fun.