It’s that age-old debate about teenage girls and how society’s views of the female body affect them. In the ’80s and ’90s, we had Vogue and Cosmopolitan to influence teens. Now, those same images are plastered across social media, and it’s no longer limited to celebrities.
These social media apps give society a way to show your followers a glimpse of your life, sharing pictures and videos from your day’s events. And for many of us, it’s a digital photo album that’s there when we need it. But on the other end of that is something that we don’t always think about.
In recent months, Facebook and Instagram have come under fire for the negative impact Instagram has had on teen girls. When the Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show,” it put a spotlight on a recurring issue about body image.
According to a report by Common Sense Media, the average teen, ages 13-18, spends around nine hours per day using social media for entertainment. It is certain that with the amount of content shared daily, numerous accounts contain some form of the “perfect” body image. These accounts are often filled with thousands of followers, comments, and likes.
The impact of social media on teenage girls’ self-esteem
When your daughter opens these apps daily, they’re met with photos and videos of the “perfect” body. And they’re at the age where acceptance is essential. Visual platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat can be seen as promoting a negative image to girls who use them. When taking a deeper look at the content, oftentimes, they’re seen as glamorizing beauty, looks, and attention-seeking.
Although we understand that many of these accounts don’t show the whole picture, the attention they grab due to the content they post can heavily influence teen girls to seek the same. Unfortunately, the attention they seek can turn into unhealthy relationships with themselves.
The things that people do on social media are endless. From mild dance routines to extreme dares and pranks, getting the attention to validate someone’s value can take top priority. Some may even take drastic measures to weigh the same as those they see when it comes to body image.
“Young adolescence is a time of both peer influences and appearance being very important, so it’s not hard to see how people this age could become very focused on how they are perceived online.”
Simon Wilksch
Unfortunately, teen girls attempting to get that perfect look could secretly start to develop an exercise addiction or eating disorder just to get that attention. Along with these disorders and addiction comes the risk of further damage to their self-esteem.
They rely on the wrong message from using social media to build confidence that’s centered around fitting a certain image for attention. And in the long run, they don’t learn to value themselves for who they are. While the likes and comments about how good they look may seem satisfying at the moment, excessive amounts of negative feedback can cause a teen girl to spiral deeper into her disorder or increase her belief in self-hate.
And this can be detrimental to their mental well-being, further causing depression and anxiety issues.
How you can help teenage girls build a healthy relationship with herself
Until companies figure out a way that isn’t harmful to teen girls’ mental health, having conversations is always a great way to help. Your approach is essential. By showing interest through open discussions, you’re opening up a comfortable space for them to talk about their feelings.
Also, feel free to talk about how you manage your social media usage. By giving them examples, you’re giving them the tools they need when they return to using it.
Limit or uninstall the troubling app
If you’re unsure what to do first, a good start would be to uninstall these apps. Take the power away from the app and put it back in your daughter’s hands. As we learned, seeing images of those we compare ourselves to can be detrimental to our mental well-being.
By eliminating the source causing the pain, you as the parent can start to help your daughter heal. If you feel uninstalling the app may be too abrupt, limit their time on the app by setting time limits when they use the app. This allows them to steer their focus away from the screen and towards other activities.
Block the content on her phone
Another helpful tip is to block upsetting content. Have an open conversation about the different forms of content she views and how it makes her feel. And once you know the triggering content, you can determine what stays and what goes.
Teach them the importance of self-worth
Establishing a foundation of self-worth within your daughter helps build their confidence. By showing them the value they carry within, they’ll begin to think positively of who they are. Show them the importance of being kind instead of attractive.
Encourage joining support groups
Sometimes being around others who have shared experiences can help build self-esteem. After-school programs dedicated to empowerment and self-growth can help your daughter build confidence. It can also give her the positive relationships she may have been searching for through social media.
Talk to a professional
When it comes to eating disorders and major depression, they may find it difficult to talk to you about it. And pushing them to talk to you could only drive them further away. Talking to a therapist or psychiatrist can help give them the space they need to open up.
Words of encouragement can go a long way with teenage girls
The way teenage girls view themselves relies so much on others around them. Whether it’s a celebrity, a classmate, or a friend, many find a way to compare their looks to others. Although you may tell them how beautiful they look, if their self-esteem is low or hasn’t fully developed, they’ll always think otherwise.
Encouraging them through positive words is beneficial to their mental state of mind. If they show signs of thinking down about themselves, help them develop positive self-talk. Teach them how to rework their negative thoughts into positive ones.
Show them the importance of being kind to themselves. You want to begin to help them build the foundation of feeling good on the inside. The more support and encouragement you give them, the more it builds the confidence they need to view themselves as valuable without the influence of social media.
And while positive words will help build that confidence within them, try focusing more on uplifting other things about them, such as praising their efforts and skills rather than on their appearance.
Conclusion
Social media can have a stronghold on teen girls. As a parent, knowing what’s out there and being involved in your daughter’s social life helps you be better prepared to manage what social media may throw their way.
Do you have an open discussion with your daughter about social media? How would you handle the situation of body image and social media with your teenage daughter? Share your experiences in the comments below.
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Until next time, this is Tammy saying keep strong, keep positive. And NOTHING’s Impossible!!!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this; I think parents of any young person or teenager should definitely have a chat about social media and the pros and cons it offers. It can (even to adults) give a very skewed view of life so education and awareness about how to navigate it safely is so important!
Thank you for taking the time to read my post, Molly :). And I completely agree with you. I think parents need to take the first step into discussions about the pros and cons of social media. You’re so right. Let them know that like so many other things in life, there are pitfalls that they can face.
“According to a report by Common Sense Media, the average teen, ages 13-18, spends around nine hours per day using social media for entertainment. ” This statistic makes me so incredibly sad.
This post is…fantastic, poignant, meaningful, spot on, AND so important to talk about. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much, Aspen. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my post. And yes that statistic makes me sad as well. While there’s a benefit to social media, I think there’s not enough monitoring for teens. And the same issues we had with magazines and television seem to be more present because social media is at their fingertips.
This is such an important discussion to have! Many parents don’t realize what a negative impact social media can have on their children. My daughter is not a teenager, yet, but I don’t plan on allowing social media for many reasons. Having a positive body image is so important, and it is even harder to achieve in today’s world.
I agree. It seems like each generation has it tougher and tougher. We have to start teaching positive, realistic traits for our girls of today. I applaud you for wanting to instill that in your daughter and making a plan early on for her as well when it comes to social media 🙂
I could definitely see how this could negatively affect teenage girls for sure. I am thankful that social media didn’t have such a huge presence as it does now when I was a teenager
Thank you, Charity. And I can agree with you. Because information is so easy to access these days it does make it tough on them growing up.