IS IT WORTH IT?

In the wake of tragedy or celebration, young people today have a powerful tool that can spread information and inspire change: The Internet.

In nearly every U.S. school, home and coffee shop, teens have access to the Internet. In fact, today’s high school students don’t know a world in which smartphones, social media and mobile apps never existed. Students use this accessibility to connect with friends, research for school, and to be entertained.

Pinnacle High School (PHS) junior Alexander Stordeur uses the Internet to help relieve stress. “I think teens use the Internet to escape reality. If they’re stressed out with school, they can use social media as an outlet to go into their own world,” he says.

In 2015, the Statista Marketing Research Company reported that 88 percent of kids ages 13 to 17 access the Internet through a