College student Emma Lembke launched the “Log Off Movement,” encouraging her Gen Z peers to take time away from the internet.

College student Emma Lembke launched the “Log Off Movement,” encouraging her Gen Z peers to take time away from the internet.Tech dependence and addiction is a top problem Gen Z thinks their gen is facing and Lembke said of her experience online, “It just became this horrific loop of going on these apps, specifically Instagram, feeling worse about myself, but feeling as though I could not stop scrolling because it has this weird power over me.” Lembke and the majority of Gen Z are spending an enormous amount of their time on social media, and the Log Off Movement is “spur[ring] dialogue among young people who are feeling the adverse effects of social media and want to adjust their relationship to it.” Lembke’s project includes a podcast, leadership council, blogs, and a curriculum on how to use the internet safely. Its members also speak to legislators regarding mental health, privacy concerns, and discusses the “ways we can move forward with technology and allow it to become a tool again rather than a controller.” YPulse data shows when it comes to Gen Z and Millennial females specifically, 56% say social media makes them feel bad about their appearance. (NYT)