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21 Jul, 2013

University study: Social media impacting teen girls self-esteem

Even though 80 per cent of the girls surveyed were classified as normal weight, 46 per cent said they were dissatisfied with how much they weighed. “Time spent on social network sites was related to lower self-esteem, body-esteem, sense of identity and higher depression,” Amy Slater from Flinders University’s school of psychology said.

Social commentator Melinda Tankard Reist said young girls seeking affirmation via social media were ”setting themselves up for negative mental health outcomes”.

“They feel they have to be on display,” she said. ”We live in a culture that rewards exhibitionism [and] everyone is judged on their physical appearance.”

Read the rest: Under the sway of social media.