Social Media Harms

How does social media harmfully affects children's perception of body image?

Cortney Gonzalez

Ottawa University
Abstract

When the media celebrates certain types of behaviors and appearances, it can leave a strong

impression on children, shaping their ideas of what will make them popular, attractive, and

happy. Kids may compare their own appearances to those of celebrities, models, animated TV

characters, or toys. These things can portray body shapes that may be unrealistic or just plain

unattainable. This kind of comparison can lead to body shame and low self-esteem, which can

lead to serious behavior issues. It's also important to remember that kids today not only are

consumers of media but also are primary users. On one hand, kids may struggle with how to

present themselves online and manage their online appearances, or they may find themselves

comparing the way they look to how their friends look. They may get a boost of confidence from

friends' reactions to the photos they post on their social media. On the other hand, kids may see

friends, celebrities, and others who use online media to challenge harmful stereotypes about

appearance ideals. There are always a few out there that use their social media to connect in a

positive way. Those people will shine the light on the darkness of shaming, harassment and

bullying that comes with body image on social media. Those who show that it is wrong to listen

to everything that is put out there.

Social Media Harms: How does social media harmfully affects children's perception of body

image?

The effects media has on children in today's society is incredible. Almost everyone has some

kind of social media feed: Facebook, Instagram, twitter, snapchat, tinder, etc. Each of these

sights makes you think in a certain way, respond in a certain way and have some kind of

expectation behind it. Instagram for example has about 400 million active users. About 90% of
those users are people under 35. Even more specific about 10% are teenage girls who are

claimed to be bullied on Instagram (Banfield, McCabe 2002).Usually this comes from the image

they are showing and the comments received. If you are one of those girls or young women and

you see these models or fitness, or even make up tutorials showing what the in look is

everyday, dont let you influence you too much. You should still continue to be you, but thats

not usually what these teens think. Well actually there has been researchers looking into this and

if it is actually a cause to maybe depression, health or eating disorders and bullying.

Ive found that this issue roots from someone not being confident in themselves or just following

the crowd. These images, videos, and quotes come from the marketplace of Elite fashion

magazines or professional fitness trainers. Its not something that you see in the everyday lives of

a teen or Child. They should be focusing on school, hobbies, friends, family. They shouldnt be

thinking of someone liking their picture, or how many followers they have, or even if they are

going to be the next social media famous person. Once again most of the stuff founded in the

social media world now days is all about looks. If you work out and have a good body. If you

know how to put on a pretty face with your makeup. Or doing some abstract diet that in the long

run could affect you in a negative way. Research I found by Jill Rierdan and Elissa Koff in 2017

talks about some dimensions of weight-related body image. From things such as classification of

weight and self-reported weight. Body image was said be connected to conscious and

unconscious apprehension and lifelong social response to body appearance. Also connected to

body image was personality development. So the various body images shown to children in

social media can relate to how the individual child differs in aspects of personality (Rierdan and

Koff, 2017).
 Method

A couple of studies were done to find a model enabling the appearance of behavior impairment

related to body image. The used attitudes, gender, emotional symptomatology, self-

consciousness, age and ideal of influence as variables of this research. This result founded that

the most influential variable are age, depressive symptomatology and IR when it comes to

impairments in adolescents (Aragones and Marron, 2016). Another was experimental

investigations of how exposure to thin-ideal body types affects body dissatisfaction. The results

of this experiment were consistent with Ferguson's meta-analysis, the effects were small (Senn-

Caldern and Rodrguez-Testal).

Then next study was a little different. The importance was to collect statistics to give another

standpoint. The two studies reported in this paper were designed to evaluate the efficacy of a

multidimensional model of body image that incorporated perception of cognition, and behavior

views. This lead to analysis revealing consisted of three factors: Cognitions and Affect

Regarding Body, Body Importance and Dieting Behavior, and Perceptual Body Image. The

implications of these findings are for better understanding problems among people with

disturbed body image are discussed (Lobo, 2006). This was a good study to show or when

talking about those on social media that give specific examples or directions of diets and meal

plans. The last study I used was the more specific.

The last study and examination was on the male body image perceptions, motivations, and

related behaviors through a qualitative approach. It discussed satisfaction levels, thoughts of

ideal male physiques, influences, and motivations having to do with body image. In this study

they interviewed hundreds of individuals, asking them about their own thought and fuite of mind
when it comes to what they think about body image. What they found from this one sided gender

bias research was that males were just about the same as when involving social media. They

show to be influenced, pressured and locing for social response when talking about body image

(Gina Bottamini and Diane M. Ste-Marie, 2006).

Discussion

I also came across books and articles that didnt necessarily do experiments of interview, but

more like viewpoints of the issue at hand. The issue of social media bringing harm to childrens

ideas of body image. Most at first of course refer this issue to be connected with mostly of just

women. But that's not necessarily right, academic articles found that children as young as five

experiencing feelings connected to body image. In attempt to to fix the imbalance this paper

even got most specific and decided to talk about the constructions of body image and health

among young boys. It talked about most boys at a young age tend to compare and contrast their

bodies to others and images surrounding them (Bottamini and Diane M. Ste-Marie, 2006). So if

there are millions of these children on social media sites and they are being exposed to images

that influence them, even at the age of five it has been said to influence them. Another article I

thought connected well talked about adolescent male athletes. For example football players and

cross-country runners. The subjects responded to surveys covering eating attitudes, weight

concerns, physical traits, perceived and ideal body shape/size, and reasons for exercising. From

this survey there were significant differences noted. The Differences had to do with emotional

standpoints such as confidence levels. As an example the meaty more muscular football players

tend to be more confident than the smaller cross country runners (Read and Parks, 1997). I
thought that those two articles complemented the idea of young or adolescent standpoints of the

issue.

There was another article that covered the issue of sociocultural theory contends that women's

dissatisfaction with their physical appearance stems from different ideals. One is the thin body

ideal that is promulgated in Western societies; the tendency for women to adopt a "Body as

object" rather than "Body as process" orientation. Basically that women would look at their own

bodies as if they were just object not connected to their mental being. Also that being thin is

good, an assumption which emphasizes the rewards that are accrued. These rewards are things

such being preserved as attractive and, the costs that are associated with being unattractive.

Researchers concluded that the strongest root of each of these sociocultural assumptions may be

mass media (Morrison, 2004).

Conclusion

From all the studies and experiences Ive found on the issue of body image on children being

negative in most cases really makes me think about the bigger picture. Where they get these

ideas and how it sticks with them. The social media influence is just too strong now days and

should be in consideration of allowing children to be apart of that world. I believe we should

make rules or laws that should be implied when it comes to social media being open to children

or adolescents. If it is open to them there should be restrictions to the access they have in this

world. We have now been shown the damage of influences of body image come have on them,

such as weight related issues or poor behavioral responses. Lets step in as a society and make a

positive change for the future generations looking in the mirror.

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