Media and Body Image
For this week's blog post, I decided to take a closer look at the data collected from Common Sense Media on Children, Teens, Media, and Body Image. This current generation of students is very consumed with technology. As a result, problems arise when working with this media.Working at the elementary level, I have seen students as young as kindergarteners reflecting on how they look and compare to things they see on TV. According to the research done by Common Sense:
"Body image is developed in early childhood, and even very young children exhibit body dissatisfaction."
When I read this paper, I wasn't surprised that kids aged five to six years old start to experience body image dissatisfaction. The shocking part to me was that the kids already know about dieting. Some already even engaging in some sort of dieting behavior. "Twenty-six percent of five year olds recommend dieting behavior (not eating junk food, eating less) as a solution for a person who has gained weight and by the time they're seven years old, one in four children has engaged in some kind of dieting behavior" (Lowes & Tiggemann, 2003). Social media plays a huge role in how children think they should look. Television also plays a big role. Both social media and television teach children that thinner is better, and that if you look a certain way, you will be pretty. Kids are comparing themselves to models, cartoon characters, their peers, pictures they seen online, etc. They are doing this at such a young age, and the consequences are very negative.
Social Media and Teens
A second article, also through Common Sense Media, discusses Social Media, Social Life Teens Reveal Their Experiences. I read this article next because I wanted to see how social media was impacting teens' lives. The first article had some shocking statistics about children as young as five having body image problems. I was curious to find information on how this impacts teenagers. One part of the article had teens take a survey on how social media makes them feel. "The survey included a social-emotional well-being (SEWB) scale based on concepts such as happiness, depression, loneliness, confidence, self-esteem, and parental relations."
Using the graphs below, the data showed teens who were on the lowest end of the social-emotional well-being scale have the hardest time with social media in their lives. "Nearly half of teen social media users at the low end of the SEWB scale say social media is “extremely” or “very” important in their lives. Teen social media users on the low end of the scale are also much more likely to say they’ve had a variety of negative responses to social media, such as feeling bad about themselves when nobody comments on or likes their posts; feeling left out or excluded after seeing photos on social media of their friends together at something they weren’t invited to; and deleting social media posts because they didn’t get enough likes. Disturbingly, more than a third (35 percent) say they have been cyberbullied, compared to 5 percent of high-SEWB teens." After reading the stats from this survey, it is very alarming to see what effect social media has on teens who already have low self esteem. Technology has come very far in recent years. It has taken education to new levels, and it's a great way for teachers to differentiate lessons for students. However, its drawbacks can have harmful effects on children of all ages. These drawbacks can cause body image problems, low self esteem, leave students feeling lonely, and can even cause cyberbullying.
(Both pictures from: Common Sense Media )
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Ashley,
ReplyDeleteWow, I found your post very eye-opening! In my opinion, social media is ruining our youth. As great as technology is and can be, I feel that our youth experience a lot of trauma from the social media side. Like you mention in the first part of your post, many kids at alarmingly young ages feel pressure to look like all the models they scroll past on Instagram. We also have all the cyberbullying and negative comments students experience. To go along with this you cite that most students say it is 'very' or 'extremely' important to them and is a big part of their lives. I think as educators we can prevent some of the negative aspects of this by educating students more about the pitfalls of social media and how to use it in a healthy manner. Thanks for the great post!
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI teach third graders and the statistic you presented has me worried about their future. I knew that social media and glamorizing certain body types on the media played a huge role but looking at the data it is very alarming. Although a lot of the responsibility is on the teachers I believe that it needs to also be directed at the parents. Many people assume that teachers can help remedy many issues but in my opinion it starts at home with well informed parents that have action plans in place to help their children navigate obstacles. Granted, social media was not as prevalent decades ago, but just as you showed us parents can research the alarming data you just presented and make an action plan with their children as well. Many schools have great social emotional learning programs but they can only go so far when half of the job is done. We need more parent-teacher programs to tackle this issue and be effective.
SEL programs at school + parent involvement = effective solutions.
What do you think? Thanks for sharing.
Hey, Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this information about the relationship between body image and social media. What a complex topic! One one hand, it seems great that kids are aware that junk food and bd eating habits lead to obesity, but it is terrifying that they are self-diagnosing.
As far as the effects of social media go, it is interesting that many of what they consider "negative influences" refer to instances when they did not receive the amount of attention that the desired. If you ever get the chance, check out the Netflix Series "Black Mirror" and specifically the episode "Nose Dive".
As to cyberbullying...I wonder ...Does technology (social media) cause cyberbullying or do bullies cause cyberbullying?
It's disturbing to read that students so young are body-conscious. I don't, however, think this is caused by technology. When you are 5-7 years old you are learning via your parents, their views (and what they allow you to watch on tv!). Teens are a whole different story. While I respect and believe the findings of the studies that say social media is bad for teens I also believe there are studies out there that would refute that. We live in a day and age where you can find any view you want to!
ReplyDelete