In our family, we put off our kids from social media for as long as we could. Around Grade 8, we reluctantly agreed. We feared them combing through posts that were seemingly natural, but actually, edited, constructed and not necessarily real. And that an often inauthentic portrayal of others, via their posts, could be harmful.
There can definitely be real harm done to one’s self-worth when comparing themselves to influencers and celebrities who get paid to project content, creating a social media driven identity.
Frances Haugen is the whistleblower, who released tens of thousands of pages of research and documents on how aware Facebook was of its negative effect on teens, especially girls.
We listened to a podcast on The Daily about this. The takeaway was essentially that Facebook and Instagram, in some ways can promote low self-esteem, and prey upon already existent insecurities. Teens who struggle with mental health can of course find helpful content. But not when their newsfeed is bombarded with negativity and fake content. Anyone, adults included, who is vulnerable is at risk to this susceptibility.
We all know how filtered and processed photos and posts can mislead -- a curated creation of how people want to be seen -- bringing a specific version of celebrities and the like right into our homes. The beauty and the happiness seem effortless. And for a teen, it’s difficult to process.
One can come away feeling less than.
It’s worrisome that there is a version in the works for kids 13 and under.
When we instead show our authentic living, and our realness, that’s how we help each other.
Influencer Gabby Petito’s recent death has shown us how fake her posts may have been -- a perfect road trip and loving relationship, rather than the possibly toxic and harmful reality, that might be what killed her.
Let’s do better. Let’s show our kids that loving our real selves is not only okay, but necessary.
“...I believe in the potential of Facebook. We can have social media we enjoy, that connects us, without...putting our children in danger...We can do better."
-- Murphy Kelly and Clare Duffy, CNN Business
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