Xavier Chardos

2025 Scholarship Winner
Attending Columbus State University

Xavier’s Essay

I have recently begun volunteering at my church’s middle school youth group. Many of the sixth through eighth graders that attend are experiencing significant emotional struggles. I am planning a lesson to teach them how to have an intentional relationship with technology. They share with me how social media and internet access is having negative impacts on them.

Social media, with or without bullying, often leads to unhealthy comparisons, which leads to depression and social anxiety. Having access to the internet more often than not causes pain and sadness during this formative time in a child’s life. Social media apps are designed to limit our free will and control where our attention is directed. Adding a bullying experience into the mix only takes the person farther away from the truth about their real identity.

I believe that it is possible to detach from technology without ditching it all-together. At our youth group, we have started with having the youth put their phones away for the two-hour meetings. We will also take their phones from them on long trips including a five-day overnight camp. I’ve already seen evidence of deeper conversations, improved eye contact and many more smiles on their faces! Detaching from devices from time to time is a step toward preventing young people who might be experiencing cyberbullying from developing distorted, unhealthy perceptions of their actual personhood.