Besides a few students snoring, the bus on my way to school every morning is always dead silent. AirPods plugged in, mouths wide open, everyone sleeps on their way to school to survive another day. Even during lunch break, many students would fall asleep on their desks to get the sleep and rest they need, instead of sleeping at night. From the school bus to everyday classrooms, where my friends desperately searched for empty chairs, desks, and sofas, I’ve witnessed and encountered the serious sleep deprivation of high schoolers in my everyday life. 

All the high schoolers around me are exhausted, raising many questions. Has it always been the case? Are secondary school students destined to be sleep-deprived and overworked? 

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 70% of teenagers fail to get adequate hours of sleep. While the public attributes the lack of sleep to the increase in smartphone usage, I believe there is a much more complicated relationship between sleep and academic culture. The continuous rise in screen time and social media usage not only reflects an unhealthy dependence on online platforms but also a need for students to disconnect themselves from the hyper-competitive atmosphere that highlights academic excellence. This also intersects with the problematic notion in society that young people’s health is something that must be sacrificed to achieve academic and social success.

Our society faces a conundrum, where academic pressure, the dependence on social media, and its impact on adolescent health are intricately intertwined, yet in the absence of a viable solution. It remains a puzzle as to how society should approach the health problems that young teens face. Not only is it difficult to change pre-existing norms and habits, but simply targeting one or the other won’t solve the ultimate problem. Thus, I believe that it is society’s responsibility to shed light on the toxic culture that prevails within high schools that pressures young individuals into the vicious cycle of sleep deprivation.

신시은 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

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