I got my first mobile phone when I was in Year 4, so about three or four years ago. I've actually been on social media for quite a while now. I use TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. I didn't have it for a while – about six months – but I've got it back now.
I spend about an hour a day on social media. All in all, I'm probably on my mobile for two to three hours a day. I sometimes check my screen time, but not always.
Once I start scrolling, I often don't even realise how long I've been at it.
My feed is mostly full of posts about horse riding and sport. I ride myself, which is why there's so much of that. I also watch funny videos. Political posts pop up sometimes, but not that often.
Once I start scrolling, I sometimes don't even realise how long I've been at it. Then, suddenly, a lot of time has gone by. There are days when I'm on my phone a lot, and others when I hardly touch it at all.
When I realise I should really be doing something else, I sometimes listen to music and put my phone away. Then I do what I actually set out to do, like tidying my room .
I used to have a time limit on my mobile, but I don't have one anymore. My parents don't check what I'm looking at either, and they don't have any set rules, like a specific time when I have to switch it off.
But I wouldn't mind if they did have a look. I've got nothing to hide. Sometimes, when I've been scrolling for ages, I even find myself briefly wishing someone would come and take my phone away so I can stop scrolling. But at the same time, it would be a shame if it just disappeared.
When I see people on social media who have a lot of money or are doing something I'd like to do myself, it doesn't really affect me. I don't get jealous. I tend to think that I've got plenty myself. When I see something nice or funny, I'm usually just happy about it. After spending a long time on my phone, I usually end up feeling rather tired. Sometimes, looking back, I also think: I could actually have done something more sensible.
When my mobile isn't even nearby, I can concentrate better because I'm not constantly wondering whether someone has sent me a message.
I can already tell that my mobile phone distracts me when I'm doing my homework. When it's lying next to me, I keep glancing at it. At school, we have to hand in our mobiles, and I actually think that's normal. When my mobile isn't anywhere near me, I can concentrate better because I'm not constantly wondering whether someone's sent me a message.
I used to have a child safety app on my mobile that my dad had installed. It blocked certain content. Since I got a new mobile, that's no longer the case. Sometimes I just use social media to take my mind off things – for example, when I'm bored or don't feel like doing anything else. Time flies when I'm on my mobile.
