As a 2003 born American, social media has been in my life longer than it hasn’t been in my life. While I didn’t eat the forbidden fruit until third grade when I received an iPod Touch for Christmas, I feel that I was predisposed to social media through Nintendo devices; messaging in Wii and D.S was too enchanting not to want more of it.

Although MySpace was before my time, I remember playing and downloading some old-school apps on my iPod Touch such as Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja and Temple Run. Soon after, I migrated to social media platforms (some of which have been removed from the app store) such as Vine, Kik Messenger, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and later Musical.ly (before it became TikTok). It was fascinating to interact with people in different states or even countries. In fact, my best friend and I wouldn’t have stayed in touch if it wasn’t for social media due to moving and living in separate states.

In sixth grade, I begged for a cell phone, arguing to my parents that it was time because my friends and I were starting to go places without adults. My wish was granted: I received the iPhone 6 for Christmas. After its two-year lease, it was upgraded to the iPhone 7 and I kept this phone until it literally wouldn’t turn on anymore. After six years, my iPhone 7 was traded in for an iPhone 13 Pro in 2022.

Looking back, I wonder how my life would have been if I hadn’t received a phone at such a young age. Would I have had more time and energy to follow my passions? Would I have discovered what career I wanted to pursue at an earlier age? Was my childhood negated because of a phone? On the other hand, would I have been able to grow with my best friend?

When my iPhone 7 failed to turn on, it took two weeks until I was able to purchase a replacement — two weeks free of bugging notifications and pressure to respond to messages as quickly as possible. Two weeks of peace.

My time cut off from social media was an eye-opening experience and one that taught me a salient lesson: I do not need a cell phone to live. In fact, I was happier and more free without it. I felt more mindful, more like myself.

While I acknowledge that cell phones are useful for efficient communication, I still think that boundaries are necessary so it doesn’t become a controlling machine. In anything, a break is vital to refresh.

Now, I try to save social media for the professional world and save myself for the real world. My mind, body and soul have already thanked me for the change.