Reducing social media use by 50% helps teens and young adults have a better perception of their body image.
- Young people spend, on average, between six and eight hours a day on screens, and mostly on social networks.
- Social networks promote poor body perception in adolescents.
- Limiting social media use by 50% for a few weeks improved perceptions of body image and weight among young participants.
TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat… social networks are an integral part of teenagers’ daily lives. However, the very worked photos – even totally retouched – of the influencers, do not give a very realistic perception of the world and the bodies. On the other hand, they assiduously nourish the complexes of many young people.
The solution to help them have a better image of themselves? Quite simply, reduce their time spent on these sites, according to researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario whose work has just been published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media.
Limitation of networks: beneficial effects on self-image
The researchers recruited 220 students aged 17 to 25 (76% female, 23% male, 1% other). To participate in the study, they had to be regular users of social networks (at least two hours a day on their smartphone) and show symptoms of depression or anxiety.
During the first week, these volunteers could consult their favorite apps normally. Usage was measured using a screen time tracking program. Subsequently, half of them were instructed to reduce the time spent on social media to no more than 60 minutes per day while the others could continue, depending on their habits.
All the young people were also asked to respond to a series of statements about their general appearance (for example, “I’m quite happy with my appearance”) and their weight (for example, “I’m satisfied with my weight “) at the beginning and at the end of the experiment.
The participants who had to limit their use of the networks managed to do so by around 50% to reach an average of 78 minutes per day. For comparison, the average time of the control group was 188 minutes per day.
After three weeks, people who consulted less on social networks showed a significant improvement in how they perceived both their general appearance and their weight, unlike the others. Gender did not seem to make any difference to the observed effect.
Teenagers spend between six and eight hours a day on screens
“Adolescence is a vulnerable time for the development of body image issues, eating disorders and mental illnesses”said lead author Gary Goldfield, a researcher at the Canadian institution, in his press release. “Young people spend, on average, between six and eight hours a day on screens, largely on social media. Social media can expose users to hundreds or even thousands of images and photos every day, including those of celebrities and fashion or fitness models.Which we know leads to an internalization of beauty ideals unattainable for almost everyone, resulting in greater dissatisfaction with body, weight and shape”, he added.
For him, it can thus be beneficial to pay attention to the time spent on social networks.
“Reducing social media use is a feasible method to produce a short-term positive effect on body image among a vulnerable population of users and should be evaluated as a potential element in the treatment of body-related disruptions. ‘body image’he estimated.
The scientist is now conducting a larger study to see if this beneficial effect can be maintained for longer periods of time and if this reduction can lead to even greater psychological benefits.
