“We make body image problems worse for one in three adolescents” is one of the conclusions reached by a group of Facebook researchers, who during the last three years examined how Instagram affects the youth mental health who have an account in said social network.
The documents, to which he had access The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), also found that 32% of the adolescents expressed that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse; plus teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression.
The characteristics that the social media company identified as the most harmful are part of its essential makeup and young users are the key to success, as more than 40% of Instagram users are 22 years old or younger.
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This research was cited in a presentation last year to the CEO. Mark ZuckerbergHowever, Facebook has struggled to resolve this issue expeditiously. Instagram’s head of public policy, Karina Newton, noted that the company is investigating ways to alienate users from certain types of Instagram posts.
“We are cautiously optimistic that these nudges will help people target the content that inspires and uplifts them and, to a greater extent, will change the part of Instagram culture that focuses on how people look.” wrote on his blog.
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