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Mental wellness and technology
Christy Heidi Lie, International Christian School
Australia and various European and Southeast Asian countries have either announced plans or already enacted laws to restrict children under 16 from accessing social media platforms, such as Instagram. This has sparked numerous discussions about mental wellness, what it is and its relationship with technology.
While there are differing perspectives, I agree with recent worldwide policies: social media should be banned for youth under the age of 16.
As a teenager myself, I vividly remember the nights I spent scrolling through social media instead of sleeping or studying. I was often left with a sense of impending emptiness, along with the envy and sadness I felt when looking through others’ perfectly curated lives.
Therefore, my stance is this: society should alleviate growing mental health issues by limiting the use of technology in youth. Technology use has a positive correlation with the development of mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, and stunts growth through phenomena such as distractions and overreliance.
First, society should alleviate growing mental health issues by limiting the use of technology, as it has a significantly negative impact on one’s mental well-being.
According to a 2025 meta-analysis by West University of Timișoara in Romania, higher usage of technology correlated with increased anxiety, depression, loneliness, social isolation and stress. The findings proved a statistically significant and reliable link between high screen time and psychological distress.
Additionally, the rise of social media has shown negative effects on self-esteem, body image and overall well-being. This includes the development of eating disorders.
Moreover, the anonymity and distance provided by platforms lead people to engage in abusive behaviour without consequence – leaving victims without support. From this data, it can be concluded that the use of technology correlates with negative psychological effects and should therefore be limited and only used with great caution.
Second, society should alleviate growing mental health issues by limiting the use of technology, as it has proven to stunt growth through distractions and overreliance, relating to worsening mental health.
According to leading US non-profit organisation Mental Health America, youth under 25 are 73.02 per cent more likely to report using technology significantly more for entertainment than information. While the percentage improves over time, this data proves the alarming level of distraction technology poses to adolescents.
As time is a limited resource, a higher comparative volume of entertainment robs one of concentration and productivity in schoolwork and extracurricular activities.
Moreover, 81.34 per cent of 1,113 participants aged 18 to 24 feel reliant on technology. With the increasing global use of artificial intelligence, overreliance on technology may stunt growth and lead to a lack of independent ability and knowledge.
The addictive nature of online platforms can also lead to decreased productivity, disrupted sleep patterns and heightened feelings of dependency, which all impact mental well-being, including by leading to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety.
Although technology may increase accessibility to mental health resources and platforms, its unavoidable risks and positive correlation with anxiety, depression, and social isolation remain especially significant in adolescents, reaffirming the need to limit technological usage with great caution.
5 things I learned from my anxiety
Heer Donda, King George V School
Practice detachment
Work as hard as you can, but do not fixate on a specific outcome because absolutely anything can change in an instant. A huge part of overcoming your struggles is realising that what you’re facing doesn’t have to be defined as a “problem.” It’s about shifting your lens and learning to accept reality as it is. Anxiety thrives when we fixate on worst-case scenarios that haven’t even happened. To counter this, we must avoid becoming too attached to a rigid result and instead commit to keeping an open mind.
Focus only on what you can control
Anxiety is an immense drain on your time and energy. It takes time to realise that the constant loop of thoughts stuck in your head isn’t helping you in any way. The only thing we truly have the power to influence is what we do right now. Whether you are obsessing over a past event or worrying about what will happen in the future, it is vital to channel your energy into sharpening and refining what is within your control. That is the only way to genuinely improve your life.
Live in the present
It took me a long time to realise that replaying the past or preplaying the future over and over again simply robs us of the present. We rarely notice how valuable the current moment is: it is the exact space where we shape what will soon become our past. It is what enables us to convert the precious human connections around us into lifelong memories. Ultimately, the present is what shapes our identity and empowers us to change our future.
No one can help you more than yourself
As much as the people around you can offer love and advice, the ultimate battle is you versus yourself. The only way to truly face anxiety is to embrace it rather than fight it. Breaking out of the thought loop takes time. Most importantly, you have to explore your own mind in-depth to understand the exact causes of your anxiety. Learning how your mind operates allows you to recognise why you think the way you do, making it much easier to navigate through the storm.
Find balance and broaden your perspective
Anxiety often takes hold when your mind fixates on one thing so heavily that it blinds you to everything else that matters. A crucial part of healing is recognising that this one trigger does not define your life or who you are. Finding balance looks different for everyone, but what helped me face my anxiety was intentionally spending more time with friends and family. In our fast-paced, ambitious lives, we often forget to simply pause. We need to value the human connections that tie us together, the nature that surrounds us and the shared identity we all hold as human beings.
Are you a lucky person?
Isabelle Cho, Canadian International School of Hong Kong
Personally, I believe I am a lucky person. But I don’t believe I’m the only one. To some extent, we are all lucky; the difference is simply that some of us choose to see our luck, while others close the door on it. If you asked me which camp I fall into, I would tell you that I am someone who chooses to see it.
But I wasn’t always that person. Everything changed for me during a school trip back in March. It was a cool, relaxing day, and my first time riding a bike in years. I remember the anxiety creeping in before we even started: What if I fall? What if I bleed? What if I have to leave? And then, those “what-ifs” became reality.
I was flying downhill. The wind rushed past my ears, and my surroundings blurred into a streak of green. For a second, it felt like I was gliding right off the ground. That might sound like a beautiful, liberating experience, but believe me, it was terrifying. I didn’t feel free – I felt completely out of control.
Desperate to regain my grip, I slammed on the brakes. But instead of stopping, I flipped. I hit the ground hard, chin first.
People might ask: How on earth is that a lucky experience? That exact question is what changed the way I view the world. In a strange way, it could have been so much worse. What if I had permanently scarred my face? What if there hadn’t been a trusted adult nearby? What if I didn’t have parents who cared so deeply?
In that moment, I found light in a dark room. I discovered my luck within an unlucky situation. Shifting my perspective allowed me to cope with the accident almost instantly. Instead of feeling like a victim, I felt incredibly grateful. And that is what true freedom feels like.
My message for all of you – no matter your age – is this: luck isn’t about avoiding the fall. It’s about what we choose to see once we’ve hit the ground.
