Without school, trapped inside the house and bound by the restraints of social distancing, students across the country are being faced with one large problem: boredom. Many states across the U.S. are being put into a “lockdown” or “stay at home directive” as named in the state of Maryland, and because of this, all people must stay indoors and socially distance themselves from others. When their lives are suddenly put on pause, what do they do now? Without standard means of entertainment such as, grabbing lunch with friends or catching a movie, how do students entertain themselves?

When people are confined to their homes, what activities might they take part in during normal circumstances? Watching television is one of the most common activities people of all ages are finding themselves doing. Companies like Netflix and Hulu have gained significantly more viewers as streaming has increased. Since the beginning of the year, Netflix’s stock prices have risen 14% to the price of $375 per share. That alone can put into perspective the interest in watching tv during social distancing. 

After communicating with Oakdale High School students, there are many repeated answers regarding what high schoolers are doing during social distancing. After asking eight students their top three activities, the most common answers among all students were watching TV, reading, or playing video games.

OHS juniors such as Jake Gerwits, Jack Stoffer, Lucas Shortridge and Lucas Crawford all had at least one thing in common with their responses: they all play video games.The girls, Maddie Garnes, Shannon Roth, Josephine Sasse and Samantha Estepp would rather read. All the students’ answers had slight variations although similar: eating, sleeping, running, working out, baking etc. (Almost all students included watching tv).

Gerwits explains why he prefers to play games rather than read books: “I get more enjoyment out of building a story and making things happen myself than reading about something happening.” 

This contrasts Garnes’s answer who prefers reading “because it’s a way to escape everything that’s going on around me and gives you the story of someone else and their life lessons and experiences.”

Reviewing another viewpoint, Estepp provides her reasoning to read during social distancing: “If our world is on pause, doesn’t mean fictional character’s lives are on pause. [It is] more interesting than our reality.”

All of the students had their own opinions and ideas, however, all students appear to be up to the same few activities. The activities students are taking part in are similar and yet different based on the preference of each student. 

After reading about the activities of Oakdaliens, what are you doing during social distancing? What is your family up to?