Cooped up inside our homes, barred from stepping outside for fear of the virus and one’s health. The pandemic forced adults and teens alike to adapt their social behavior to one that fits in with what the new normal asked. Undeniably, adults and teens alike were affected by the sudden change in the social ecosystem, more so teens as we’re exposed to the social media side of the world more.

Teenagers weren’t new to conducting their social life online. However the sudden shift to it being the primary source of social interaction has led to its own Pandora’s box of issues that have fostered amongst teens.

 From using their phones seldom prior to the lockdown, to being on it all the time during it to being unable to break the cycle of addiction post-lockdown; the social media sphere has affected us teens in irreparable ways.

A survey conducted by the NepalNews yields that before the pandemic 75% of surveyed teens used social media on their phones for less than 4 hours every day, but during and after the first lockdown more than 62.5 % still continue to use social media sites for more than 6 hours a day.