About 4.8 billion people use social media daily. The average user will spend two or more hours on social media every day. Many social media platforms have algorithms that cater to our interests, hobbies, gender, sexuality, etc. The algorithms may lead us to a feeling of connectedness, but may also trigger many other feelings.
I have spent a lot of time reflecting on my social media usage over the years. I began noticing the way certain platforms made me feel as I was going into my junior year of high school. I followed other teens who looked like the definition of society’s beauty standard. I looked to these girls as role models and found some inspiration in their posts. I religiously watched fit teens share their eating habits and fitness routines. I began to shape my habits to what I thought was “healthy.”
The misinformation I was taking in at such a young age is, in retrospect, unsettling. I was following the routines of influencers who had no education in nutrition. Alongside my fascination with nutrition came my hyper-fixation on how my body looked. This would range from comparing myself to other friends to comparing myself to other people I would see on Instagram.
As I began my research on this topic, I discovered I was not alone. The first article I looked at was from the American Psychological Association about a study in Canada. The study found that “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.”
It further notes the vulnerability that comes with adolescence and young adulthood. This is a time when people are more susceptible to mental health challenges and can be strongly impacted by the use of social media.
The second study I read was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. This study had a sample group of 1,331 subjects, and their ages ranged from 15 to 35. The study found “an association between the frequency of comparing one’s physical appearance to that of people followed on social media and body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness.”
I am passionate about this topic and feel some things can be done to help change these statistics. The world is becoming more and more digital every day. I believe the most important thing we can do for our younger generations is to educate them on how to manage their social media consumption. I believe an impactful option would be to create a mandatory class on this matter. Creating a class for seventh- and eighth-grade students would not only prepare them for what they will see on social media, but also educate them on what to do and who to go to if they find themselves in a dark place.
Having been a teen in this place myself, I wish I had felt more seen and understood during my struggles. Had I known what I know now about the power of social media, I believe some of my mental health issues could have been avoided. There is great power in education, and I believe it is our duty as a society to adapt and learn from the research at hand.
Addison Toner from Wethersfield, Connecticut is a senior at Central Connecticut State University.