(Editor’s note: The following letters have been submitted by students at Escalon High School as part of a class project to outline a topic that concerns them and offer suggestions on ways to address it.)
Social Struggle
Dear Editor,
Social media has negatively affected social skills within our society today. As I get older, I see all these students around me that struggle to hold a simple conversation with their peers. People my age have grown up with access to social media for most of our lives, so we never needed to rely on in person communication in order to build connections with others. Our friends were always one text, phone call, or email away. This concept has destroyed the groundwork of branching out of your comfort zone and meeting new people.
This is an issue that will affect our generation for years to come. How are we expected to interview for a job or leave our families for college, when we lack those fundamental skills of talking to others? These are skills that should have started to develop early on in life, but social media acted as a roadblock in that department. I rarely see children playing outside with their friends. I mean why would they when they have access to a screen inside?
Parents should start to limit the internet access that their child has from a young age, so they have the opportunity to experience these core childhood memories. Don’t make growing up on social media the “new normal”. Implement these boundaries early on, so they can build these life skills. Looking back, I wish I would have never taken that adolescent time for granted. I strongly believe without the extreme use of social media, teenagers would never struggle with having a simple “hi” or “hello” conversation.
Sincerely,
Natalie Ruiz
Wait To Text
Dear Editor,
Ding! A notification goes off while driving. Without a second thought, the driver decides to check their smartphone. I see this a lot while driving to Escalon High School, which is only a seven-minute drive from where I live. As a new driver it’s scary to think that not many people are paying complete attention to the road. This is a problem not just with teenagers, but adults too!
Even though texting and driving is illegal nationwide, seven percent of drivers use their cell phone while driving. This can include calling, texting, listening to music, changing a song, or singing along. Singing along to music can reduce someone’s focus by 10 to 20 percent. Being on a phone call can reduce somebody’s focus by 30 to 50 percent. But texting while driving will reduce one’s focus by 80 to 90 percent!
This can endanger not just you, but even the innocent people around you who may be trying to be as cautious as possible. Being on your phone may distract you from watching important things such as obstacles in the road, your speed, failure to yield, tailgating, incorrect use of signals, possibly running red lights, delayed reactions, or even lane drifting.
For a safer environment for everyone on the road, there should be a much larger consequence for texting while driving. In my opinion, licenses should be suspended or a much larger fine.
Sincerely,
Brenden Berchtold
Make Positive Changes
Dear Editor,
Recently, I have come around the thought of more positive changes we can make to Escalon as a community: a skatepark, a playground, or even possibly another corner store (as if the couple we have are not already enough). All of these ideas have one thing in common: teenagers would love them.
Teenagers in Escalon have little to nothing to do – let alone the ones who do not have cars or money for these activities. Those who can drive are leaving here and going to outside communities, where their money is spent elsewhere.
By having a new skatepark, store (such as an arcade, ice cream shoppe, any place to stay open at a reasonable time), or even just a small hangout area, teens and children can find a new spot to enjoy while also funding the town at the same time. Along with this, people can be fulfilled by these interactive activities no matter what age! I hope you take my offer into consideration for the opportunity of a better impact on the next upbeat citizenry of Escalon.
Thank you for your time,
Emilia Gomes
