Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more have taken over the lives of so many people. We are constantly on our phones, checking the latest status updates, scrolling through our timelines and posting pictures.

Social media can be so damaging to one's self esteem. Constantly worrying about how many likes you get on a picture, views you get on a story, and comments you get on a status can be extremely overwhelming and unhealthy. We, as users, waste so much time aimlessly switching back and forth between our various social media apps simply to procrastinate our day-to-day responsibilities. Research has shown that teenagers spend around nine hours per day interacting or scrolling through social media platforms. We are so obsessed with staying "in the know" on everyone's lives, we sometimes forget to enjoy our own. You can't go to a concert without thousands of phones recording every second for Snapchat, or even drive down the road without seeing a distracted driver catching up online. It is absolutely insane.

We also have to remember why we all love social media so much. It is the easiest way to stay connected to all of your friends and family. As a college student, I couldn't imagine not being able to see everything my friends from different universities are up to at all times. It is very entertaining to keep up with all of their lives via social media. Being able to scroll through Instagram and see pictures of my little cousins winning their basketball and baseball games always makes me smile. Seeing one of my friend's posts about an accomplishment in their life makes me feel genuinely happy for them.

When it comes to social media, we all have to find a balance. If used correctly, it can be a great way to stay involved in the lives of your loved ones and stay up-to-date on newsworthy events. Just be sure to look up from your screen and actually live in the moment every now and then. Real life is way more fun than the edited and filtered versions we choose to share online.