Too Much Temptation
January 23, 2012
It Was Hard For These Teens To Give Up Facebook, Youtube
YouTube, texting, TV. It’s sometimes so overwhelming that it can be hard to focus on homework. So we challenged teens to do their homework without distractions for three days. They were allowed to take breaks to do things like check their Facebook, go on YouTube, talk to their friends or watch TV, but they couldn’t do those things while doing their homework.

Elizabeth Vidar/Photographer's Archive
Adapted from . Accessed on April 16, 2016.
Photo by Elizabeth Vidar, 17, North Hollywood HS Zoo Magnet.
L.A. Youth is an online newspaper “by and about teens,” according to its editor. It publishes first-hand accounts of teens’ experiences with college stress and personal troubles like racial identity, broken families, teen pregnancy, and drug addiction, among other issues.
By Jazmine Mendoza 16, Valley Regional HS #5 (San Fernando)
Distractions are all around us – Facebook, […]

Elizabeth Vidar/Photographer's Archive
I was confident the first day. I left my computer and phone on because I wanted to challenge myself by keeping temptations nearby. I felt more focused because I wasn’t thinking about checking my Facebook every five minutes. I spent only three hours doing homework instead of the six to seven hours I usually take. I even had time to read for pleasure before going to bed. The following day at school I felt better prepared because without distractions, I had fully understood the homework.
During the second night I found myself dozing off and getting bored since I was used to going online or calling a friend when my homework got hard. I didn’t want to cave in though, so I dedicated myself to doing portions of my homework for about an hour and then taking five-minute breaks. I didn’t use the breaks to go online though, because I knew that I’d stay on longer than five minutes. Instead I cleaned my room, got a snack or saw what my family was doing. Then I continued my homework more refreshed.
I repeated the same routine the third day, and will try to keep that routine from now on. Spending less time on Facebook made it less important. I knew I wasn’t missing out on much because I could go on later and nothing had changed. It feels good being on the computer less.
Available at . Accessed on April 16, 2016.

By Jessica Marin
17, Culver City HS

Elizabeth Vidar/Photographer's Archive
The first day, I forgot that I had to be distraction free until I realized it took me 30 minutes to come back to a government question because I was texting my friends and checking my email. When I stopped replying to texts, I finished my homework in less than 20 minutes. I was able to work on college applications the rest of the night and go to sleep before 11.
I usually stay up until midnight and spend about four hours doing homework.
The next two days were not as successful. I tried not to get distracted by my phone but I couldn’t help it. I could have moved it away from my desk, but what if I missed an important call or text? Like what if my friend broke up with her boyfriend? I’m so attached to my phone that if I don’t have it near me I feel like a part of me is missing, which is not normal – it is just an object. Text messages would come in, I would ignore them but then another message would come in and another one after that one. I gave in and texted and called my best friend. We didn’t even talk about anything important, just the usual rundown of how our day went and complaints about our homework.
My mom said she knew I would fail this challenge because according to her I’m “addicted” to my phone. In my defense, the challenge worked for one day but then I went back to how things usually are, staying up until midnight. But I’m OK with that because I feel like I need mini-distractions during homework or else I’d go crazy.
Available at . Accessed on April 16, 2016.


Question 01 - Que desafio foi proposto às alunas segundo o texto? *
1 ponto
A) To do homework or study without listening to music.
B) To do homework without electronic distractions for three days.
C) To avoid friends for three days.

Question 02 - Como foi o primeiro dia de desafio de Jazmine? *
1 ponto
Sua resposta

Question 03 - Como foi o primeiro dia de desafio de Jessica? *
1 ponto
Sua resposta

Question 04 - Como foi o segundo dia de desafio de Jazmine? *
1 ponto
Sua resposta

Question 05 - Como foi o segundo dia de desafio de Jessica? *
1 ponto
Sua resposta

Question 06 - Como foi o terceiro dia de desafio de Jazmine? *
1 ponto
Sua resposta

Question 07 - Como foi o terceiro dia de desafio da Jessica? *