If you spend hours browsing Instagram for pictures of bodybuilders and impeccably dressed influential people, you're definitely not alone. Instagram is one of the most popular social media applications, with more than 700 million users worldwide, and it is also the most harmful application for young people's mental health, according to a new study.
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The Royal Society for Public Health conducted a psychological study of nearly 1500 people aged 14 to 24. Researchers are determined to find out how different social media platforms, including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, affect young people in terms of anxiety, depression, sleep problems and self-esteem. The survey concluded that Instagram had the greatest negative impact on young people, especially young women, followed by Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter. & Shirley cramer, chief executive of the Royal society, points out that platforms that should help young people connect may actually contribute to mental health crises. Surprisingly, the only social media application that found a positive impact on mental health was YouTube.
@youtube's only active mental health network platform, while @twitter-@facebook-@snapchat&@instagram all negative net; statusofpicmind.twitter.com/e95ob2d1vp
& mdash; rsph (@r_s_p_h) 19 May 2017 < p> although researchers It is true that Instagram can be a platform for positive self-expression and self-identification, but they also find that this platform has a negative impact on young women's body image and sleep. In addition, the app can also contribute to young people's fomo (fear of missing out).According to CNN, the author of the study, Matt Koracher, believes that young women will compare themselves with unrealistic, planned, filtered and photographed versions of the app when using it. One woman in the report said that Instagram makes it easy for girls and women to feel ill because people add filters and edit pictures to make them look perfect. This explains why Snapchat, another website that relies heavily on filters, is the second criminal to cause mental health problems.
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This is not only what people see in social media, but also how long they see things that affect their mental health in social media. Young people who spend more than two hours a day on social media are more likely to be negatively affected in terms of mental health.
The Royal Society for Public Health suggests that social media platforms need to warn and disclaim modified or filtered images so that young people can easily distinguish between what is real and what is not.
& Keracher told CNN: "We are not asking these platforms to ban Photoshop or filters, but to let people know when the image is modified, so that users will not regard the face value of the image as real." & We really want to provide young people with tools and knowledge so that they can not only browse social media platforms in a positive way, but also promote good mental health. & Quote;
Although there is no official way to determine whether photos or videos on social media have been photographed or filtered, this study is an important reminder that things are not always what they seem, especially on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. People rarely post imperfect photographs, videos showing their monotonous lives and comments about how unsafe they are. That's why you shouldn't compare yourself to others on social media, stay away from it when you need it, and limit the time you scroll through subscription sources every day.
What do you think?
Based on your experience, is instagram the worst offender in all social media platforms in terms of mental health? Do you think social media websites should provide disclaimers if a photo is digitally modified? Please tell us in the comments!