The Influence of Social Media on Adolescents

Social media can have a significant impact on body image, both positive and negative. Social media can provide a platform for body positivity, community support, and health and fitness inspiration. Social media can also contribute to unrealistic beauty standards and unhealthy comparisons. Social media’s influence can affect individuals from childhood into adulthood, yet children and adolescents are more susceptible to the negative contribution of social media.

Understanding how certain content and influences affect the relationship to the mind and body, can help youth stay safe and promote healthy minds and well-being.

Adolescent population

During the adolescent period of the lifespan, youth are developing themselves more than ever before. During this time period, youth gain better understanding of their identity, gain an increased sense of empowerment, strive for autonomy and independence, while being more influenced by the world. Youth during this age range has increased potential for anxiety, depression, eating disorders, risky behavior (substance use an sexual promiscuity). Adolescents at this age are also gaining an understanding of their environment and social structures, finding meaning from their surroundings. During this stage of life, youth have greater conflicting views of their body, mind, and spirit.

Youth ages 12 through 18 also experience social development changes, seeking more peer dominant social dynamics and become more selective with relationships. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that these individuals prioritize the meet need for love and acceptance, which reinforces their self-esteem. Erik Erickson’s psycho-social theory suggests that these youth strive for self-image and identity confidence and stability.

In addition to the social and spiritual developmental changes occurring during this time, emotional and physical developmental changes are occurring simultaneously. During this time in adolescence, one may experience heightened emotional reactions and mood swings, increased emotional expression regarding gender and culture, and increased conflict with authority (reliance on peer relationships). Physical developmental changes occur due to puberty, which can lead to increased self-consciousness. Maturation rates and comparison to peers lead to decreased self-esteem, social relationships, and confidence.

Unrealistic beauty standards

Social media platforms often feature images and clips of individuals with seemingly “perfect” faces and bodies, in line with societal norms. These seemingly perfect photos are more often times than not posted with filters and editing tools to enhance appearance. When looking at social media posts with such images, unrealistic beauty standards can get interpreted in the viewers mind, enforcing this standard upon themselves and others outside of the social media realm. This standard can lead to body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.

In fact, social media filters have led to a condition known as “snapchat dysphoria,” in which people become desperate to look like the filtered version of themselves. The authors of a 2018 research paper state that several plastic surgeons have shared that they’ve encountered people requesting to look like a “filtered” Snapchat picture.

Comparison and competition

Similar to unrealistic beauty standards portrayed online, social media can create a toxic culture of comparison and competition, where individuals compare their bodies to others and strive to meet the same beauty standards.

Many people tend to only post their best photos and share the positive, well-manicured facts about themselves or their lives, which may not be representative of their everyday situations. For both men and women, this can contribute to negative body image and even lead to mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

Cyberbullying

Social media can breed a culture of cyberbullying where people are attacked for their body size, shape, appearance, which can have a devastating and long-lasting effect on body image and self-esteem. A study in 2018 found that 59% of U.S. teens have personally experienced cyberbullying, which includes offensive name calling and the spreading of false rumors, among other types of bullying.

Body-image disorders

Social media can make just about anyone feel like they don’t measure up, but it’s even more detrimental for people with eating or body-image disorders, such as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). According to the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), this is a serious condition affecting about one in 50 people in the United States.

People living with BDD are typically preoccupied with at least one nonexistent or slight defect in their physical appearance, and experience repetitive and compulsive behaviors around their appearance, such as mirror checking and reassurance seeking. These symptoms can be excessively worsened by social media.

References:

Diamond, G., Siqueland, L.,, & Diamond, G. M. (2003). Attachment-based family therapy for depressed adolescents: Programmatic treatment development. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6(2), 107-127.

Dove United States. (2021, April 20). Dove | reverse selfie | have #theselfietalk. YouTube. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2T-Rh838GA

Harrison, K., & Hefner, V. (2014). Virtually perfect: Image retouching and Adolescent body image. Media Psychology, 17(2), 134-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2013.770354

Henderson, D. A., & Thompson, C. L. (2016). Counseling children (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Noah, T. (2021, May 20). How social media filters are destroying our mental health | The daily show. YouTube. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aedB7x6cjjQ

Parker, Stephen. (2011). Spirituality in Counseling: A Faith Development Perspective. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(1), 112-119.