IT’S EASY to wonder what other students at Granger stay up doing on their phones. Well, Mr. Jackson, a Granger administrator, thinks that parents should encourage their kids to get some sleep. “Parents allow kids to make their own decisions [about turning off devices],” he said. Jackson thinks that being on electronics all the time has become a habit now.

Jackson states that parents need to have a conversation with their kids about turning off their electronics in order to get enough rest at night and be able to get through the day without falling asleep during class. Jackson says students push their limit to sleep and continue to build a bad habit. It can take one or two class periods before they actually wake up.

This means students skip first and sometimes second period in order to wake up and get ready. Jackson also said that this is how society is now, and that the world cannot not be easily disconnected.

Students are up in the night staring at their screens for different reasons.

Well, Erica Barrientos (10) said she stays up on Netflix. Barrientos said her parents don’t care and let her stay up as late as she wants. She said she also stays up late talking to someone she likes as well. Barrientos said she feels super tired when she wakes up and although she comes to school on time, she ends up falling asleep while in class.

Barrientos isn’t the only Lancer staying up late texting someone she likes.

Alex Cervantes (9) also stays up late talking to his boyfriend. Cervantes’ usual routine is lying in bed by 9:00 p.m., sleeping at around 3:00 a.m. and waking up at 6:00 a.m. for school which leaves him with only three hours of sleep. Cervantes says he likes to spend most of that time on social media being nosy and seeing what everyone is up to.

Since his routine has always been sleeping at 3:00 a.m. and waking up by 6:00 a.m., he has gotten used to it so when he wakes up he doesn’t feel too tired. Cervantes somehow manages to stay awake through all of his classes and make it through the day with a nap after school.

Most Lancers are probably wondering how they can get to sleep early or use their electronics less. They should put an alarm in their phones for the time at night when they need to sleep. When it goes off, they should turn off their electronics and get ready for bed. It’ll just serve as a reminder of when to turn off the phone. If they do this, they’ll surely get more rest and be less tired in the morning.

Myrna Rodriguez (9) said she stays up watching Netflix and YouTube makeup tutorials just like any high school girl would. Rodriguez stays up until around midnight and wakes up at 6:30 a.m., which gives her around six and a half hours to sleep, but the body needs at least eight. Rodriguez said she’s almost always on time for school, but that doesn’t mean she’s had enough sleep. “I always feel like just going back to sleep,” she said.

Rodriguez’s parents always tell her to go to sleep, but she doesn’t listen. “I usually tend to put my head down in all my classes, and I know I have to go to sleep early. It’s just that Netflix is so addicting,” she said.

Maybe the temptation of a phone makes students take advantage of the time they’re supposed to use it or maybe parents need to be stricter on when students put their phones down. Electronics can be extremely addictive, and students should pay less attention to social media and binge-viewed video and pay attention to more important things like school, family and the beautiful things around them.