You have 15 seconds and a choice. You can either say yes and continue watching or say no and have to wonder what will happen next. That is the critical decision that an individual is faced with after each episode of a TV show they are watching on Netflix.

            Many VHS students admit they choose yes, and that they can be diagnosed with an addiction to Netflix. Many of these students prefer watching their favorite TV shows or movies to doing homework or even socializing at school. Netflix is taking over people’s lives to the point where they are excited for school to end just so they can go home and find out what happens next on their favorite show.

            For some students however they are unable to even wait for school to end. Senior Sam Garrison talks about how she has the app on her phone so she can “watch anywhere at any time.” She said she is a frequent watcher at lunch time and admitted that she gets caught up in episodes during time when she should be doing studying or doing homework.

“It’s just too easy. As soon as you finish one episode it automatically brings you to the next so there is no turning away.” Sam said that she regularly watches from 5-7 episodes a night. She is currently watching Gossip Girl and is on season four, episode 22. This may seem normal but she only started the show two weeks ago! Each episode is 45 minutes long with an average of 22 episodes per season.

Senior Amanda Albelin, another avid watcher, has already fully completed television series such as Gossip Girl, NYC Prep, Arrested Development, and Sons of Anarchy.  Amanda also carries out a routine where she makes herself a Starbucks hot chocolate, gets her favorite white fuzzy blanket, then sits in her bed and then can finally enjoy. A usual sitting for her is four to five episodes a night. She also stated that she mostly does her viewing on the weekends when she can stay up into the wee hours of the night to watch.

“Well, I have finished a whole season in one day before,” said senior Madison Misuro about her addiction. She has fully completed One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Greek, and has watched movies like Foot Loose, Mary Kate and Ashley: Our Lips Are Sealed, and 50 First Dates. Madison does the majority of her watching in her living room on her smart TV, which has the Netflix app already installed on it. This provides her with much easier access and a more comfortable experience.

She said that “at my all-time high addiction with One Tree Hill, I did download the Netflix App to be able to watch on the go.”  She claims she has calmed her addiction but still says that when she has any free time you can most likely find her on the couch watching some television.

            The addiction to Netflix is real. People ignore their friends; don’t do homework, watch at school and even skip meals, spending consecutive hours in front of a screen just to be able to keep up with their favorite television shows.  Netflix has fed the addiction to what is now being called “binge watching” by creating several whole series directly for Netflix, like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black and releasing the entire season of them to Netflix all at once.  With the continuous expansion of the site and the types of devices Netflix can be accessed on and the constant addition of new episodes, the addiction to Netflix is sure to continue to grow.