Social Media and How It Affects Teens Today

Everywhere you look there is going to be a screen. In this day and age, being connected to each other through social media is bound to happen. From apps like Facebook and Instagram to Snapchat and Facetune, social media could be seen to make people’s daily lives better. Social media does not, however, help teens and their overall body image. Teens today struggle with body image because of social media.

One of the biggest influences to body image problems and conditions like body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD, is social media. New apps such as Facetune and Snapchat are making a new beauty standard that creates an unrealistic and usually unattainable ‘perfect’ look (Willingham). When people use these apps and filters, they are subjecting themselves to the stigmatism that they need to have perfect bodies and flawless skin. “In a recent set of statistics from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 55% of facial plastic surgeons reported seeing patients who wanted to improve how they looked in selfies in 2017, a 13% increase over the previous year” (Willingham). Teenagers are at the time in their lives when social media and public influencers can affect them the most. They want to fit in and feel a sense of belonging which leads them to think these unrealistic beauty standards need to be met. A study done by the Brian Feinstein of Northwestern University and some others researched 268 college-age adults and found that the more people are on social media and post selfies, their self-esteem drops and they become more critical towards themselves and their shortcomings (Hamrah). Teens in this day and age are harsher towards themselves and their body image because of social media and altered photos.

Teen girls are not the only ones suffering from body image problems. Young men today are facing the same confidence issues but on a much different level. While girls are suffering from body image problems, they are still given a platform to encourage each other and grow more confident in themselves with social media hashtags like #DareToWear and #realgirl. Young men, however, are forced into toxic masculinity and are not easily allowed to talk about their problems. Jamie Jewitt, a 24-year-old model for Dolce & Gabbana and Tom Ford said: “If a man mentioned his insecurities there would probably be an awkward shuffle and someone might admit they feel the same way, but it’s so rare” (Conway). Men are often told that they are not allowed to show weaknesses and that having problems with their body makes them less of a man. Henry Rogers, a 22-year-old Calvin Klein model, said that most of his insecurities came from being bullied when he was young and his lack of support while it was going on. He said that being male meant that he was expected to laugh about it and shake it off (Conway). The accepted idea of masculinity is that men have perfect bodies and do not care about the emotional side effects of toxic masculinity that might harm their emotional state.

Teenagers are forced to overanalyze their appearance every time they open their phones. Social media gives people enough opportunities to see themselves that it can often lead them to criticize each other to the point of dissatisfaction (Willingham). As people are on social media, they are constantly comparing themselves to others. This creates jealousy and toxicity within communities that can help fule depression and eating disorders. As advanced as phone cameras have become, they can still create a fisheye effect that can make whatever is in the middle of the camera larger; Jama Facial Plastic Surgery found in a 2018 study that “selfies make noses look 30% larger than they are” (Hamrah). Not only are photos inaccurate because of filters and editing, but the camera itself can also change your appearance. In 2018, roughly 72% of the members of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery documented seeing more patients under 30 (Hamrah). This age group has seemed to be the most active on social media and also the most unhappy with their appearances. Now as teens are becoming more unhappy with their looks, they have become more likely to turn towards plastic surgery.

As issues with body image have increased, cosmetic surgery in teens has also risen. The want for cosmetic surgery has stemmed from mainstream social media fashions. Today’s teens feel pressured to look like the newest top model and will go to great lengths to reach that goal. Teens may ask to look like a certain celebrity, even if their facial structure doesn’t match (Hamrah). When teens are subjected to altered photos and idolize them to the point of seeking out facial reconstruction, they are feeding into illnesses like BDD. Body dysmorphic disorder has been classified as an obsessive-compulsive type of disorder by JAMA,

Journal of American Medical Association. Those with the disorder will often see plastic surgeons and dermatologists to fix what they see as an imperfection; even if the imperfection doesn’t really exist (Willingham). People with body dysmorphic disorder have been greatly affected by the mainstream social media, and if people the condition are given the chance to see a cosmetic surgeon, they will take it. Dr. Patrick Byrne, administrator of the Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Department at the Johns Hopkins University School Of Medicine had said that people with BDD “Have a habitual repetitive brain pattern. Even if you make someone look better, you’re not helping them. You may be hurting them by deepening their obsession and reinforcing its source” (Willingham).

On the other hand, plastic surgery can actually improve lives. Sometimes, getting these surgeries aren’t done for vanity, they’re done because the person needs it to function; it can also help a person with anxiety and depression disorders (Baura). Reconstructive surgery can help improve the lives of burn victims and cancer survivors. Sophie, a breast cancer survivor who underwent breast augmentation said, “Having choices made me feel like I had some control over my body at a time when everything around me was spiraling out of control” (Baura). In these situations, getting plastic surgery done can be beneficial. It can help improve a cancer survivor’s social anxiety and help them reintegrate into society.

Overall it can be seen that social media is possibly the biggest influencer to teens and their body image. Social media affects both genders, and they both struggle from different standards society has put on them. As teens grow up with higher and more unreasonable standards to follow, they can resort to options like cosmetic surgery. Although cosmetic surgery has been shown to feed into negative mental illnesses, there is a fine line between cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. While cosmetic surgery is focused on aesthetics, reconstructive surgery can help improve the daily lives of trauma survivors. Social media’s popularity will continue to grow, and its influence on young men and women will grow with it.