Slowly seeping into the minds of children. Extending its claws beyond the screen of a device. Poisoning the once-innocent children and adults. Initially created as a platform for connecting and communicating with others, social media has reached heights no one would have ever expected. With videos of cats falling off counters to “fit checks” on the streets, social media has endless content to scroll through. What many do not realize is how toxic all of it is…
Insecurities. Social media is one of the reasons people view their bodies through the lenses of the world. Seeing the picture-perfect lives of influencers without being able to see what is underneath builds a sense of self-hatred, especially among the younger audience like teenage girls. Looking at the comments gushing over a woman with an hourglass shape and hating on a woman who may not have a waist as thin as a stick pushes girls to believe that anything besides a thin waist and an ample bosom is unacceptable. Children fall prey to these trends about not eating to look like a speck of dust and starve themselves to appear the same.
Aesthetics. Are you a clean girl aesthetic? Are you a cottagecore aesthetic? Are you a dark academia aesthetic? Social media molds its users into assuming that in order to fit into society, they need to categorize every aspect of their life into an aesthetic. If people wear something remotely different from what they usually wear, they are called “fake”. It’s not fair for someone to want to experiment with new things with their makeup or outfit only to be called fake. Why is it so important that we push everyone into neatly labeled boxes? Creativity has been killed with everyone wanting to match an aesthetic to fill society’s requests instead of just choosing an outfit or makeup based on their preferences.
Users. The content on social media is not the only toxic thing. It is the users themselves. Many people on social media promote the improvement of mental health or reduce stigma around body hair and many sorts of things. However, some users use social media for the wrong purposes. These are the people who judge the bodies of people who post themselves and leave disgusting comments under their posts. Social media is filled with people like these and it is not good to expose children or anyone else to them since their perception of themselves might change drastically. Imagine having someone whisper everything they think is wrong with your body constantly. It can result in cracks in someone’s self-esteem and confidence, making them more self-conscious and withdrawn.
Some social media platforms like Pinterest are relatively better but like all other apps, they also have their flaws.
It is necessary as a human living in today’s society. Ask yourself. Is this healthy? Is it healthy to invent new insecurities? Is it healthy to wonder if you are deer pretty or dove pretty or siren pretty? Is it healthy to push these onto unsuspecting children or insecure teenagers?
By: Sneha Reddy Mukkamalla
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