How harmful is it for teens to be on social media and share their daily day with strangers, for a handful of likes? And are there any mental and physical consequences?
How much time do kids spend on social media like Instagram, bombarded from morning to night with fictitious photos, plastic and very futile lives where the only problem is the number of followers or learning the latest ballet in vogue on TikTok, without knowing what actually happens in the world where they live? The bomb obviously dropped the one and only Wall Street Journal, that a few weeks ago came into possession of the results of some studies conducted in great secrecy by the Menlo Park company, and wrote a report that contains truly distressing information, especially when you think about the amount of time you spend on Instagram.
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What the report from the Wall Street Journal says
Before getting to this point, we remind you of a fact that will make you look at the rest of this article with a very critical eye: the first issue that emerges from the studies carried out is linked to the time that children spend with the smartphone in hand: the 46% of 11-13 year-olds remain attached to smartphones for up to two hours while 44% of older adults can stay on the phone for up to six hours a day. After this, we come to the report. The studies carried out have revealed a sensational ending: Facebook has always been aware of the fact that Instagram is dangerous for the mental health of teenagers, teen girls to go into detail. The social media of photos with filters that completely distort the face, from retouched photos, of sculptural physicists, bought by Facebook for a billion dollars in 2010, seems to have devastating effects on the psyche of many teenagers. Think about when we open the social network: although many influencers are trying more and more not to show themselves with changed connotations, the idea of physique, of mentality, is always there, and influences a lot of young girls who maybe, to reach that beautiful body , stop eating or do it badly and with serious consequences. Ah, that physique… it’s pure Photoshop.
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According to revealed research, commissioned by Mark Zuckerberg’s own company for simple data compilation and analysis, one in three girls have an Instagram account develops disturbances of perception of his own body. And even all the groups analyzed spontaneously accused social media of causing them anxiety and an increase in depressive tendencies. A disaster across the board As reported by Il Sole 24 Ore “32% of teenage girls said that when they felt bad about their body, Instagram made them feel worse” was what a slide of the top secret study circulating in the Facebook offices read. In another, however, it was written that “Teens blame Instagram for the increased rate of anxiety and depression. This reaction was spontaneous and consistent in all groups“. Indeed, among the adolescents who have expressed suicidal thoughts, some of them have the desire to kill themselves on Instagram, to show it to the world. And the most traumatic thing is that Facebook has always been aware of it, without lifting a finger. Probably because they know very well that Instagram is the fastest growing app of the whole group, the one that doesn’t fall off the pedestal. But is it really worth it? We would like to conclude, reminding all girls, that no one is perfect. And the people you idolize so much on social media are completely different in reality. Don’t be swayed.