Social media can be both a boon and a bane, depending on how you use it. But considering the latest news updates, it has been harmful to people’s mental health, especially young girls. It has made them feel inadequate about themselves and question their very existence.
Annie Zhu created an Instagram account when she was in her freshman year at high school. In the beginning, she managed her profile by actively posting pictures of herself in various looks and outfits. She mostly followed accounts that spoke of body positivity and neutrality. Despite that, she often went into a downward spiral of self-comparison with others.
Later, when she heard a podcast that revealed how Facebook’s research stated that Instagram content wasn’t very helpful for girls, she wasn’t very surprised. She, along with her friends felt that most of the social interactions on Instagram weren’t authentic. And since it wasn’t contributing anything positive to their mental health, some of her friends had deleted the app.
Annie is just one of the many young girls who felt that the app was ruining their mental peace and inner calm. In this article, we will discuss the various ways in which Instagram has been harmful to young girls so that you can be aware of it.
Is Instagram Content Unkind to Young Girls?
A few years back, Facebook officials came to know about Instagram and the power it has to make teen girls feel bad. A report obtained from The Wall Street Journal said that it can make young girls question the way they look and give rise to body image issues. Facebook researchers stated that 32% of teen girls reported feeling negative towards their bodies after using Instagram.
Some people blame the mechanics of this app for such unfavorable after-effects. Rachel Rodgers, an associate professor of applied psychology, said that being a highly visual social media platform, this site places a social premium on one’s appearance. Naturally, it led to body image issues and even eating disorders among young girls.
TruLaw further asserts that when you spend more time on Instagram, it increases feelings of depression and loneliness. Additionally, there is also the pressure to have a perfect online presence, which can also contribute to more anxiety. As girls end up comparing themselves to others on Instagram, they automatically feel inadequate about themselves.
By now, you must have realized that social media seriously harms your mental health. A few ways in which Instagram’s content has been affecting young girls are:
Giving Rise to Eating Disorders
Various studies have highlighted that social media results in eating disorders. A review of 67 studies on this topic was published way back in 2015. So what was the conclusion? Using social media, which is mostly appearance-focused, such as Instagram, increases issues related to one’s appearance.
Increasingly, girls wanted to look a certain way and compromise on their individuality. Additionally, the developmental traits might make many adolescents susceptible to all these effects.
More Girls Want To Get Cosmetic Surgeries
In recent times, the Kardashians and the Jenners have said a lot about plastic surgeries. Various people using Instagram have been using snippets of these interviews to make reels and short videos. As a result, others get to see it as content as they keep scrolling their feed. This automatically affects the way young girls think and feel about their features.
Today, young girls want to start earning at a very early age because they want to have the financial capacity for any kind of cosmetic surgery they might want to get done. While getting your appearance changed is not a crime, one needs to assess the root cause of the desire for it.
Getting surgery when you need it to correct a medical issue is crucial. But when you want to change your nose shape or have a chiseled look, just because Instagram beauty bloggers look that way, it is not a healthy thought to begin with. Here, teen girls need to understand their worth and know the importance of their individuality, rather than trying to look a certain way to feel validated.
Instagram Can Foster Suicidal Thoughts
Often, online content on Instagram gives rise to self-harm behavior. It occurs because the users receive negative messages that promote self-harm. One reason for this is the social hate that people get for being themselves online. Young girls often have their batch mates sharing rude comments or messages related to their posts, which gives rise to negative feelings.
The more time teen girls spend on Instagram trying to face cyberbullies and other toxic people, the more they are under psychological stress. It results in poor mental health and under extreme conditions they develop suicidal thoughts because they feel nothing makes sense.
In conclusion, Instagram can be a wonderful medium to connect with others and share your work to get better professional opportunities. But the trick here is to use it wisely and not fall prey to the toxic content that’s available. Teen girls have been vulnerable to such content and have affected their lives in several ways.
From eating disorders to thoughts of feeling not good enough themselves, the spectrum has many downsides. It’s necessary to know about the adverse effects of Instagram on your mental health and use it accordingly.