How does social media affect body image among teenagers?

Body Image affects everyone, young or old, but with social media influencing people increasingly, it's becoming a platform for negative body image. This is especially true for teenagers, with 90% using platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Social media isn’t all bad; it allows communication between people and is a great way to spread information and updates. However, it is one of the biggest things linked to body dysmorphia and eating disorders.

 

Photoshopping

The critical issue is the magnitude of editing and photo-shop which goes into each picture. The problem with this is that no one says the photo has gone through much editing, from the colour to the size.

 

Comparison

You only see good pictures of people on social media, never wrong. This gives the impression that they’re always getting these incredible pictures, seeming as if they’re photogenic, whereas in real life, they’re the opposite. This may also make people insecure about their photos, seeing that the images they took and the ones online are worlds apart, which can also be detrimental to mental health. Skin is a significant insecurity amongst teenagers, and we see many pictures saying ‘just woke out of bed’ with perfect skin, no eye bags and hair being so tidy when these pictures may have taken ages to get ready with editing afterwards. Many teenagers buy into these pictures, and when doing it themselves, may think they’re ‘ugly or unphotogenic’ which is what many think,

 

Cyberbullying

With a variety of people using social media, it is a perfect platform for cyberbullying, which mostly preys on those who are shy and perhaps lonely. With more than 55% of young adults experiencing some form of cyberbullying regarding their bodies, there needs to be more things done to prevent this. Cyberbullying can create doubt in one's mind concerning their body, leading to a lack of confidence in who they are with their body and personality. However, an experiment reduced teens' use of social media by 50%, and all saw a massive boost in their body image and confidence. And reducing social media is the most popular thing to implement to prevent shame and insecurity in oneself.

 

Statistics

● 98% of 12-17 years old use social media

● 35% of 13-19 years old struggle with their body image

● 40% of teenagers say social media has caused them to worry about their body

● 35% of teenagers have restricted their intake of food due to worrying about their body image

 

Body image doesn’t affect just teenagers, but all. Unfortunately, throughout the years, the increase in the use of social media has also led to a rise in negative body image. However, many helplines like Beat and The Butterfly Foundation exist in the UK. There is also YoungMinds, which provides help for mental health as a whole. If you are found struggling, don’t hesitate to contact these helplines.