Current Events II

While we scroll through our Instagram feed, we see our idols and famous artists' pictures with only thin or muscular body shapes, always looking 'good'. That might lead us to think that only these body shapes and looks are the right ones. This has become an issue mostly for teenage girls, they are trying everything, starting with unhealthy diets and the need of body alterations in order to become as 'perfect' as those people on Instagram and other social media. Eighteen-year-old Shannon McLaughlin, from Blackburn, has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety in her early teens. She is positive that her mental health has been affected by social media. She said that while she was going through difficult times, she would constantly scroll through Facebook and Instagram feed. ''Seeing that everyone was happy and enjoying life made me feel so much worse. In fact, it made me feel like I was doing something wrong.'' She felt overwhelmed with seeing women with only skinny bodies being praised for it. It made her think about her body differently. She said that real face-to-face connections made her feel better; “It’s so easy to forget the importance of real connections when we constantly have hundreds of people that we’re trying to impress at our fingertips. I think it’s important for young people to look up from their phones and focus more on the world around them, and the amazing connections that they can make there.” As for me, I fully agree with her opinion. People should realize that the actual world around them is more important than their social media profile. No one has just perfect life, everyone sometimes struggles...they just do not share it on their profile. To be aware and educated about it is the best solution, as avoidance is almost impossible.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jan/04/depression-in-girls-linked-to-higher-use-of-social-media