By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album
Reviewed by Heidi Radunovich, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida
Do you have a Facebook account? If so, has someone else ever posted what you felt was an unflattering picture of you—and then tagged it with your name? These incidents can trigger self-consciousness even for an adult. Imagine how they feel to a vulnerable young teen!
On the other hand, for some teens, posting Facebook photos seems to be a hobby of sorts, with scores of “selfies” decorating their profiles. There’s no denying that posting, tagging, “liking,” and viewing photos is an important part of this social networking site for many. With this in mind, researchers writing in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking took a look at teenaged girls’ Facebook activity to see if heavy use of the social network might be tied to body image problems.
Photo Activities Tied to Issues
About 100 girls between the ages of 12 and 18 were asked how much time they spent on Facebook–and of that time, how much of it they spent engaging in photo-related activities. The girls also answered questions about how important they felt it was to be thin and attractive, how often they compared their own body to others’ bodies, and how satisfied they were with their weight.
Simply spending more time on Facebook in general did not seem to be associated with preoccupation with body image or dissatisfaction with one’s body. However, spending more time on photo-based activities on Facebook was linked to body image problems.
Helping Teens with Healthy Body Image
While this study can’t prove that Facebook photo activity caused these teens to develop these concerns, it does give parents some reason for concern. To help teens maintain a healthy body image, emphasize your child’s skills and abilities, not his or her appearance, and remember to set a good example: never speak negatively about anyone’s body shape or size, including your own. It’s also key to remind them that the images they see in magazines and on the Internet are unrealistic and professionally altered.
In addition, it’s a good idea to set limits on the amount of time your teens spend on social media, and to talk to them about safe and healthy use of these sites. One good option is to create a family media use plan. For more on these plans, read The Screentime Dilemma: Guidance for Parents.
(Photo credit: Selfie by Paško Tomic. CC BY 2.0.)
Further Reading
Body Image and Your Kids–from Womenshealth.gov
Body Image–from Safe Teens.org
References:
Meier, E. P., & Gray, J. (2013). Facebook photo activity associated with body image disturbance in adolescent girls. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2013.0305
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