Teens Keeping in Touch

With the coronavirus putting the planet on lockdown, children and adults alike are in isolation from one another. In the past months, schools, stores, restaurants, beaches and recreational  activity centers have been closed to avoid close contact between people.

As a result, students who could once see their classmates each day during school are now separated. FaceTime, Zoom, iMessages, and Snapchat seem to be the top platforms teenagers are using to stay in touch.

Sophomore Josie Dechane said, “I think it’s important that we continue to keep in touch with everyone just to keep a sense of normalcy.”

How students keep in touch, though, varies. Christian Sullivan, another sophomore, said that he “definitely hasn’t had as much face to face interaction during quarantine.” 

“My friends and I have talked through group chats and social media,” he said, “but there haven’t been a ton of FaceTimes or Zoom meetings with my friends.”

Snapchat seems to be the most common application students are using to chat with friends. As Cole Filson, a senior said, “Most of the time we are just talking on Snapchat.”

Freshman Max McAlister said, “My friends and I are snapping a lot of the time, playing some video games, and FaceTiming. We try to do as much as we can together with the little freedom we have.”

Zoom, a newly popular video chat application, has made its debut during this time of social isolation. Although most students say that they hadn’t heard of it prior to the pandemic, Zoom is the number one used app for virtual classes, and teenagers are continuing to use it for personal calls with friends. 

“Zoom is a great app that I like to use because it doesn’t matter the kind of phone you have, so every friend can join,” Junior Kyle Trottier said. “It’s relatively new, but it works great, not only for school classes, but also for fun calls.” 

Freshman Max McAlister said, “My friends and I are snapping a lot of the time, playing some video games and FaceTiming. We try to do as much as we can together with the little freedom we have.”

Sophomore Henry Art has been taking his time in quarantine to learn a new skill–the piano. Since he doesn’t have the opportunity to show off his new musical talent to his friends in real life, he has put on a few virtual concerts via Instagram Live. 

The Mount Greylock Volleyball team has also been using Zoom as a method of post-season team bonding and to offer their final goodbyes to the senior players who will be leaving.

Although people are conscious of the fact that they aren’t supposed to be in close contact with one another, students have found loopholes and are meeting for “curbside chats,” where a few cars pull into the same parking lot, and roll down their windows so they can talk from a distance.

“I have met a few times with friends for curbside chats, because I think it’s a great way to catch up with friends while still being socially distant,” said Junior Hannah Gilooly. “It’s hard to have a real conversation over the phone, so I’m glad there is a way to talk in real life while staying safe.”

The majority of the interviewed students said that they miss spending time with their friends at school. Sullivan said, “Seeing them is something that I really look forward to once we get back to school.”