Anna, 13

How do you and your family interact with technology?

We usually watch something together in our parents’ room or sometimes we text on the phone.

On your own time for fun, how do you use digital media?

I watch YouTube, call my friends, and read comics. I call my friends every day from morning until night.

Are there any rules around media use in the house?

On the weekends, mommy makes us start playing only at 9 or 10 in the morning. That is when we are allowed to start. And then we have to stop at 9 or 10 at night to do something else. She tells us to get off our computers and phones, and if we don’t then she will yell at us.

How do you use social media?

I use Discord. I barely use Instagram and Twitter. I use Discord the most to call and text friends. If one of our friends wants to stream their homework for help or stream YouTube or Netflix. I also did Secret Santa. One of my best friends had a bunch of mutuals on Twitter and I was invited and we all gathered together. I was part of the organizing. Everyone filled out a form and everyone had to fill it out to match people depending on what they wanted and what they could make. It was pretty hectic but I got through. It was pretty cool.

How has your media usage changed during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Before I was only on Discord for an hour a day but now I’m on it every day at every hour.

How do you feel about celebrity influencers online?

I only watch them when they pop up on my recommendations. Some of them are kind of problematic. They get into scandals. They’re just people who I watch, not really role models. They say “don’t wear this, it will make you look fat.” It’s sad and mean. All those girls, especially models. You just have to be like them — shave, no body hair, have a thin face, and have all this stuff appearance-wise. It’s sad.

What lessons have you learned from Covid-19?

Be more aware of your surroundings and follow the rules.

Interviewed by: Adela Tran, UCLA Student