With the young generation getting addicted to social media platforms, parents are worried about the negative impact it can have on their children as new filters and trends related to looks keep showing up. To highlight the concern, an online survey was conducted by the On Our Sleeves Movement, an organisation dedicated to the mental health of children.
The results showed that sixty-nine percent of the parents whose kids were not above eighteen years old believed that these platforms could have a bad influence on one’s body image. Furthermore, sixty-five percent of them agreed that such body trends can have a strong negative influence on the body image of their kids.
The organisation encouraged caretakers, guardians, and parents to check up on their children and discuss with them why body positivity is important. Doctor Erin McTiernan, a paediatric psychologist and part of the research organisation, said that parents can have brief sessions with their children aimed at boosting their self-esteem. According to the doctor, questions include asking about the things children like about themselves. She added that children should be monitored by their parents over the content they come across on social sites.
According to Dr. Erin, body image can influence mental health. Social sites can put children under bad influence, which may change their perspective on beauty. Since these young users are exposed to a lot of content that usually highlights the dos and don’ts of how to look, having such discussions with their kids is not an easy task for parents. In order to help these parents, the organisation suggested that they should not label the food but instead focus more on healthy and nourishing foods.
The study was based on the data collected from over 2000 participants. More than 700 participants were parents of children under the age of 18. Once the survey was conducted, the results were shared with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to involve paediatric psychologists in the study. The hospital is also known for forming the organisation behind the survey. Since 2018, more than six million individuals have already reached out to the organisation to understand the mental health of children.
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The results showed that sixty-nine percent of the parents whose kids were not above eighteen years old believed that these platforms could have a bad influence on one’s body image. Furthermore, sixty-five percent of them agreed that such body trends can have a strong negative influence on the body image of their kids.
The organisation encouraged caretakers, guardians, and parents to check up on their children and discuss with them why body positivity is important. Doctor Erin McTiernan, a paediatric psychologist and part of the research organisation, said that parents can have brief sessions with their children aimed at boosting their self-esteem. According to the doctor, questions include asking about the things children like about themselves. She added that children should be monitored by their parents over the content they come across on social sites.
According to Dr. Erin, body image can influence mental health. Social sites can put children under bad influence, which may change their perspective on beauty. Since these young users are exposed to a lot of content that usually highlights the dos and don’ts of how to look, having such discussions with their kids is not an easy task for parents. In order to help these parents, the organisation suggested that they should not label the food but instead focus more on healthy and nourishing foods.
The study was based on the data collected from over 2000 participants. More than 700 participants were parents of children under the age of 18. Once the survey was conducted, the results were shared with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to involve paediatric psychologists in the study. The hospital is also known for forming the organisation behind the survey. Since 2018, more than six million individuals have already reached out to the organisation to understand the mental health of children.
Read next: Over 80% of Gen Z Check Notifications Within Five Minutes
