Collin Kartchner Comes to SFJHS

Collin Kartchner came to our school this week to tell us about the dangers of social media and how to use it wisely. The assembly started with Principal Christensen introducing the one and only Collin Kartchner. When he came up you could tell already that this was going to be a fun assembly. First he introduced himself and his family, cracking jokes along the way that almost everybody laughed at. Then he got down to business. He told the story of how his wife, Lizzie Kartchner was once a frequent Instagrammer. She started feeling bad about her life, so she took a break, and she has never been happier. It seems, and is proven by science, that too much time on social media, or any sort of screen, can cause depression, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts and actions. He then revealed to us that the bad thing is that the average teenager spends about 9.5 hours a day, just on a screen. And that’s not the worst part. If you spent 2 hours a day on your devices, you will have spent 1.5 months of that year, on your electronics. It’s not just people that are affected by this dilemma. As he put it, #SaveThePuppers. The amount of pet depression has gone up since the rise of technology and social media. People need to stop spending so much time on social media. People’s lives have changed by having a social media fast for a little while. He told us stories of people who had social media negatively affect their lives.

One of the reasons why kids spend time on electronics is because their parents are also on devices. So, if you are a parent, please try to notice when you are on a device, because it’s not just your kids on electronics.   Give your kid a hug. Collin Kartchner showed us a fact that has been scientifically proven. Hugs do make you feel better. Giving or receiving 8 hugs a day for 8 seconds each will make you a happier person. So, he had us all stand up and have a massive group hug.