Cutting back on social media quickly improves teen self-image

By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) — All those images of beautiful people on social media can deflate a young person’s self-image, but there may be a simple solution: limit time spent on TikTok, Instagram and the as.

Teens and young adults who already had symptoms of anxiety or depression and who reduced their social media use by around 50% experienced a significant improvement in their overall appearance in just a few weeks, a new Canadian study finds. . They also felt better about their weight.

“I don’t think it completely surprised me,” said the study’s co-author. Helen ThaiPhD student in the Department of Psychology at McGill University in Montreal.

Previous research on mainstream media and the impact of unattainable beauty and body ideals found similar results, Thai suggested.

“Not only are there celebrities and influencers there, but there are also people within your social circle,” Thai said of social media, “which can make the comparison a little easier. “.

The authors estimated that young people spend about six to eight hours a day on screens. A lot of that time is spent on social media sites, where they can see hundreds or thousands of images, internalizing them.

In a press release about the study, lead author Gary Goldfielda senior scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, said it’s unclear whether people who already had physical and mental health issues simply spent more time on social media or if social media leads to bigger problems.

For this study, the researchers worked with 220 undergraduate students between the ages of 17 and 25. About 76% were women, 23% men and 1% others.

Participants had to regularly use social networks for at least two hours a day on their smartphone.

“I think before asking why, we wanted to ask who would be most vulnerable, and that’s precisely why we targeted young people at risk for body image issues,” Thai said.

These were students who presented with symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Each was asked to respond to statements about their appearance, such as “I’m quite happy with my appearance” or “I’m happy with my weight” on a 5-point scale at the start and end of the experiment.

“Especially if you feel vulnerable and don’t have a very good opinion of yourself, seeing all these people who look, in your eyes, more beautiful than you or more than anything is going to do you you feel worse and worse,” said study co-author Chris Davisprofessor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa.

During the first week, all participants were asked to use social media as they usually would. A screen time tracking program measured their use.

After that, half were asked to use social media for no more than 60 minutes a day.

Participants who were asked to restrict their use of social media reduced it to 78 minutes per day on average. The control group spent an average of 188 minutes per day.

After three weeks, those who reduced their use of social media had a significant improvement in how they viewed their overall appearance and body weight after the intervention, compared to the control group, who saw no significant change. , the researchers said.

Nancy Mramor, a Pittsburgh psychologist, said that when you compare yourself to others, you’re 50% likely to feel bad about yourself. Mramor was not involved in this study.

In everything, she says, it’s important to only compare yourself to yourself. It’s true of social media, sports performance, academics or social status, she said. For example, don’t compare your weight to someone you see online, but rather to what it was for you last week.

“Focusing on your inner feeling about yourself, rather than external images, creates an opportunity to see yourself from the inside, not just the outside. When the images aren’t beaming to you on your phone , you get a break to notice what’s important to you,” Mramor said.

For minors, the best way to limit social media is extreme parental supervision, Mramor said. Block sites on their phones that you think will be harmful.

For adults, Mramor said it is possible to watch the media carefully, but do so consciously.

To do this, you need to take a step back from what you are looking at and ask yourself if it makes you anxious or upset. If you decide it’s not good for you, then decide what to do about it, she said.

One solution is simple. That’s exactly what the students in the study did: cut down on social media time.

Davis suggested picking what time you’ll use social media, then putting your phone down and doing something else enjoyable, like getting together with friends.

“There’s nothing like face-to-face interactions, going out and doing something with your friends to really strengthen those bonds,” Davis said.

The results of the study were published on February 23 in the journal popular media psychology.

SOURCES: Helen Thai, doctoral student, Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal; Chris Davis, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada; Nancy Mramor, PhD, psychologist, Pittsburgh; popular media psychology, February 23, 2023

Copyright © 2023 health day. All rights reserved.