Facebook is aware that Instagram has a detrimental effect on the self-image of young girls with body image disorder.
Several studies have shown that excessive use of social media can have a negative impact on mental health, especially for children and young people, for whom the internet can fundamentally change their relationship with themselves. Among teenagers Instagram is one of the most popular sites, where every day we are flooded with photos of people who look happier, more beautiful and richer than us. In this context, it is particularly important to ask what impact this has on young people's personalities and to what extent it can destroy their self-esteem and self-acceptance.
Recently, the The Wall Street Journal an interesting study by Facebook itself on the impact of Instagram on teenage girls' self-image and mental health, which was conducted in 2019, has not been published until now.
The study clearly showed that for one in three girls with body image disorder, Instagram further damages self-image and is a major contributor to anxiety and depression. Perhaps even more serious is the fact that six per cent of US teens and 13 per cent of UK teens said that Instagram had something to do with their suicidal thoughts.
Instagram has been owned by Facebook since 2012, and since then the company has repeatedly stated that the negative effects of the photo-sharing platform are negligible, and is even preparing an Instagram for kids, aimed at users under 13.
