Study
It found that 77 percent of the respondents were unhappy about how they looked, with some saying that they were “embarrassed” by their bodies.Forty-five percent of those surveyed said they had been regularly bullied or trolled online about their physical appearance, having to deal with comments such as “You looked better when you were anorexic.” As a result, 24 percent of them responded by becoming withdrawn, 22 percent began to exercise excessively, 18 percent stopped socializing, 18 percent chose to drastically restrict their food intake, and 13 percent inflicted self-harm.
Overall, half of the respondents shared the sentiment of fear—if they didn’t try to improve their bodies, they would be rejected by their friends and nobody would like them.
The survey also found that 42 percent of the respondents—51 percent of females and 31 percent of males—said they were in mental health distress.
Additionally, 17 percent said they had problems with body image issues, while 14 percent said they were experiencing eating difficulties, such as restrictive eating, binge eating, and purging or vomiting.
“Of those in need of support, just one in ten young people are receiving treatment for body image issues and eating difficulties,” the study states.
Many of those surveyed, 62 percent, were worried about their mental health, given how much time they spent on social media, as well as the online content being pushed at them through social media algorithms.
Despite their worries, 95 percent of those surveyed said they felt helpless when it came to quitting their online habit.
“Social media has a huge impact on how we see ourselves,” said another young person who was quoted in the study. “I began to become unhappy with myself and self-image as I constantly compare myself to influencers. I have to remind myself that not everything I see online is true.
Action
Dr. Nihara Krause, a consultant clinical psychologist and CEO of stem4, said the results of the survey “are deeply worrying.”“All young people go through a rapid body change in teenage years, but global crisis after global crisis has left them in a constant state of anxiety and despondency, feeling out of control,” Krause said, according to the study.
“It’s little wonder that young people feel more negative about their situation and start focusing more on their bodies as a way of self-control and to feel better about themselves.
“When they use social media apps to look for much-needed information and advice, they find themselves presented with a supposed reality that is distorted and harmful. In addition, their searches online then keep generating triggering content which compounds the problem.”
The report offered an antidote—an evidence-based smartphone app called Worth Warrior—to help children and young adults “overcome low self-worth caused by negative body image.”
According to the study, stem4 created the app with a grant from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research, which is the research arm of the British government agency National Health Service. The app provides helpful activities and information.
“Although Worth Warrior shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for therapy delivered by trained mental health professionals, we hope this early digital intervention will provide these young people with the tools they need to challenge and change their negative thoughts, emotions and behaviors towards body image and eating problems,” Krause said.
“We hope this may both reduce the risks of developing an eating disorder while at the same time building their self-worth.”
