se_admin. (2022, December 1). The effect of social media on body image in teen girls. Solstice East. https://solsticeeast.com/blog/the-effect-of-social-media-on-body-image-in-teen-girls/ 

The article ‘The Effect of Social Media on Teen Girl’s Body Image” by Solstice East discusses the significant impact of social media on the body image and self-esteem of teenage girls. Research suggests that time spent on social networking sites is strongly associated with body image and eating disorders in teen girls. The article emphasizes that, for many young girls social media has more of an effect on how they see their bodies than how their clothes fit, their health, or even looking at themselves in the mirror. It identifies the root of the low self-esteem these girls are feeling is due to how they receive the image of an ideal body type through social media. It points out that some girls adopt extreme diet habits that lead to feelings of shame and guilt around food. “whether they directly see comments on their appearance, they form ideas about their ideal body and feel pressured to eat healthier” This quote from the article shows that diet is not the problem and we should be teaching young girls about building confidence rather than restriting what they eat. The article goes on to give parents advice on what they can do to help their teen girls. Teaching them that a positive body image is related to mindset and self-acceptance, and to serve as role models for a healthy relationship with food. It concludes by mentioning Solstice East, a residential treatment center to help young women dealing with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and social media addiction. 

The article by Solstice East, ” The Effect Of Social Media On Body Image In Teen Girls” perfectly highlights why and how girls think of their bodies because of the influencers they see on social media. There was a quote that stuck out to me, “studies show that girls who share more photos online and use Photoshop to edit their pictures feel worse about their appearance and exhibit greater eating concerns…” This is the unfortunate reality for so many girls including myself, taking a picture with a filter and then looking at the original or even in the mirror makes me feel bad about how I look without it, or looking at another girl’s Instagram feed and comparing myself to her, these are just a few of the things I know many girls also experience the same thoughts and feelings. I also like the fact that it teaches parents about what they can do if they have daughters, however, I think it should go more in-depth. A lot of the time parents are part of the problem, most of the time parents do not realize that the things they say feed into what their daughters are already seeing on Instagram or other social media platforms making them feel worse about themselves. Overall, their article sheds light on a topic that is not openly discussed enough, discusses the cause and what can be done to help and teach young girls, as well as, recommending a help center for young women.