Instagram is your Way to Poor Body Image

The Royal Society of Public Health conducted a study on European teens.they asked 1,500 Young people ranging from 14-24 years old living In the UK to rank the most used social medias and identifying their issue. they realIzed that Instagram, which was one of the top five used social medias, was actually the most harmful to mental health.

They found that, "Instagram and Snapchat ranking as the worst for mental health and wellbeing –both platforms are very image-focused and appears they may be driving feelings of inadequacy and anxiety in young people" (RSPH.

org, 2017). Social medias like Instagram, have become very convenient for teenagers, mostly girls, to use as a comparison platform. Instagram is a highly visual media, as Only allows you to participate through the sharing of photographs.

The subliminal message that There is a higher value placed on visuals can have negative effect On young people's self-esteem. These feelings Could then lead to more negative thoughts and feelings and decrease in self satisfaction. A study conducted by the Florida State University communications department Indicated that frequent use Of Instagram is "harmful To individuals who find themselves Frequently engaging in comparisons with others" (Hendrickse, 2017). Another study, conducted By Feltman and Szymanski's, indicated that "these objectifying experiences might lead girls and women to begin internalizing a third-party perspective on their physical selves.

Essentially, they begin to regard themselves as objects to be looked at and evaluated; they begin to self- objectify. This self-objectification may then be behaviorally manifested through habitual body surveillance" (Feltman & Szymanski, p. 311). They also found out that there was correlation when it came to the usage of the app and eating disorders.

Recognizing that adolescents reporting use of social media that focus on visual content (i.e., Instagram, Snapchat) express significantly greater dissatisfaction with their body image and report greater levels of emotional symptoms. The more frequently that teens, especially females, are exposed to Instagram and compare themselves to others and their pictures, the higher their chance of being emotionally and physically disturbed and unsatisfied.

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