How can I help you? A mother of four complained that her 16-year-old son was having trouble sleeping.

To create a more relaxed interchange, I started by asking what her typical day was like. She shared that, as a single parent and with children to provide for, she always has to leave early for work. Her son has chosen to live with a sibling and attends school from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., but reportedly only gets to sleep by 12:30 a.m. He then volunteered the reason himself: he has become so attached to his cell phone. This eventually led into a discussion on his school performance. His grade in Math was in the line of eight, but he struggles with his English comprehension because he felt he was “mahina” and forgets things easily. When asked where this forgetfulness was coming from, he quickly replied that it was probably from watching too much TikTok. While I was dismayed, at least there was some degree of self-awareness.

From his story, one doesn’t have to do an in-depth analysis to connect the dots. From constant and prolonged social media use, there is sleep disruption, translating into a decrease in concentration and lack of focus, leading to a decline in academic performance.