Is Social Media Causing Our Girls to Think Badly About Themselves?

Young women who actively engage with social media images of friends tend to think of themselves as less attractive. These photos can affect the way they feel about their own bodies, finds a new study.

Social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram have been found to blur the difference between reality and fantasy for our girls. Young girls who actively respond to their friend’s image tend to think of themselves as less pretty, finds a new study.

The study showed that young women who actively engage with social media images of friends who they think more attractive than themselves are more likely to feel worse about their own appearance later.

Social Media Leads to Depression and Loneliness
Researchers have warned the excessive use of social media which could lead to depression and loneliness in the users.

‘Young adults really need to be educated on how to know their self-worth and not get caught up in how people respond to their photos, or if someone they think is prettier than them. These negative perceptions can lead to stringent dieting, eating disorders or excessive exercise.’

"The results showed that these young adult women felt more dissatisfied with their bodies. They felt worse about their own appearance after looking at social media pages of someone that they perceived to be more attractive than them," said Jennifer Mills, Associate Professor from the York University in Canada.

For the study, the team included 118 female undergraduate students from diverse ethnic backgrounds aged 18 to 27 years old.

Participants were asked to log into Facebook and Instagram for a period of five or more minutes and find one peer that was the same age who they felt was more attractive than themselves.

Narcissism Observed in Social Media Selfie-Addicts
People who are in the excessive usage of social media by posting selfies and images of them are at a higher risk of developing narcissism.

After looking at the photos, each participant was asked to leave a comment of their choice.

Findings, published in the journal Body Image, showed that participants' views of their own appearance were not affected when interacting with their family members.

Sharing Childbirth Experience on Social Media May Up Pregnancy Phobia
New parents who share their childbirth experience on online forums and social media platforms like Facebook could be driving the rise in tokophobia, a terror of pregnancy and childbirth leading to more abortions or C-section requests.

Particularly in this age group (18 to mid-20's) appearance is very important, and women care a great deal about how they are perceived by other people. They are also most likely to use social media, according to the researchers.

"We really need to educate young people on how social media use could be making them feel about themselves and how this could even be linked to stringent dieting, eating disorders or excessive exercise," Mills noted.

Social Media can Help Those Who Self-injure
Young people who struggle with self-injury can benefit from social media, as positive messaging helps them overcome non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI).

Source-IANS