effectssocial media can affect emotions, mental and physical wellbeing, in the sense that it can lower a person's self esteem so much that they have body image concerns, self-harm/suicidal thoughts, and attempting to physically alter themselves through means such as eating disorders, just to look like what social media defines as "perfect". people may also use social media as a platform to spread hateful and hurtful messages to one, known as cyberbullying. a lowered self esteem may also lead to depression and anxiety.
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comparisonteenagers believe that because others present themselves as perfect on social media, they are just as perfect in real life. this increases comparisons between the teens and their peers, both regarding what they see on their social media, and what they do in real life. when there's an over-comparison between a person an others, it lowers their self-esteem because it promotes the idea that one person is not as good as the other.
body imageteenagers are exposed to a variety of content and posts on social media, especially on instagram. they often compare their own body shape to others (peers or models) they see, whether or not the other has had surgery, or digitally edited their image to make it look more perfect. girls in general are more self conscious of their body. they compare themselves negatively with images of other girls who appear to be prettier, thinner, more popular and maybe richer. their self confidence in themselves will significantly lower, and this is harmful to their mental wellbeing.
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lowered self esteemteenagers who spend time on social media are exposed to a variety of content, which may affect their thoughts and views on themselves. they may feel the need to be as "good" and "perfect" as the people they see on social media. on instagram, people tend to try to validate themselves with the number of likes on their post, or the number of followers they have. The number of likes someone has on instagram can only give them a temporarily relief in the sense that they have "accomplished" something, but only in the short term, which is an example of unhealthy usage and understanding of social media.
depression and anxietysocial media can lead to over-comparison and obsession over appearance for some users. some may feel overly anxious about what people think about them and how they appear in front of others. when people think or worry too much about their image it may lead to a negative mindset, which will affect their mental state, and as result, affect their physical wellbeing too.
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