Reduced Social Media Use = Improved Body Image In Teens

Young adults have always been pressured by unrealistic standards of beauty, but to some extent the images could be avoided. The beauty ideals of today, now seen on social media, are nearly inescapable. In the past you could turn off the TV, or choose not to read a magazine, but people now look at screens 6-8 hours per day. A lot of that screen time is accounted for by social media.

We found a recent study that analysed the effects of content that contains highly altered photos and videos of "beautiful people." Many of the images are quite literally impossible to mimic, because of normal human anatomy. Yet, teens have a hard time differentiating, and they often suffer anxiety and depression as a result. Here's what the study found:

"Teens and young adults who reduced their social media use by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant improvement in how they felt about both their weight and their overall appearance compared with peers who maintained consistent levels of social media use, according to research published by the American Psychological Association." Read the rest of the article here:

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/02/social-media-body-image