It’s about 10:20 in the morning. It’s our break period when almost the whole school meets in the cafeteria. Mac, who is going by a pseudonym for the sake of this article, walks in with a group of people huddled together all looking down at their phones. Their voices are very muffled but you can hear someone ask, “Did you put your ticket in for the game tonight?” The whole group responds, “Yeah I did, can’t wait for the game tonight.”

Mac told me about his first time betting, where he won five hundred dollars betting on NBA player Stephen Curry. John said, “TikTok got me started. Scrolling through the app seeing people win a lot of money, I had to hop on this trend.” When I asked how they were able to get on the app if they were not 21, they both had the same answer. They got one of their siblings to make an account for them and simply just let them use it. When I asked if they win or lose more, both said they lose more, and John added, “It’s kind of addicting though and it makes sports more fun to watch.”

People follow trends no matter the age. Like John said, it’s addicting. At our age addiction is hard to combat. Teenagers do something once because they see their friends doing it and after that they can’t stop. The legal age to bet is 21 because at that age we are a grown adults and can safely and responsibly use our money. Betting can lead to depression, anxiety, and mental health issues. Kids at SCH are betting 24/7, and if this continues this students could suffer.