Social networks affect us more than we think. A new study shows that Instagram has a negative impact on our mental health.
The study was conducted in the last three years. Facebook has found that the tech giant’s Instagram photo sharing app is “harmful to a significant percentage” of young users, especially teens, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Moreover, the conclusions show that Instagram is worsening the problem of self-image for a third of teenagers. The young people stated that the socialization application accentuated their states of anxiety and depression.
â ⬠ÅThe question in many people’s minds is whether social networks are good or bad. Research on this topic is divided. There can be both options. At Instagram, we analyze both the benefits and the risks of our business, â ⬠wrote Karina Newton, Instagram’s PR director, according to the quoted source.
She added that Instagram has made “great efforts to address the phenomenon of bullying, suicide and self-harm, but also eating disorders.” Newton added that all this has been done to make it a safe place for everyone.
The company owned by Facebook claims that it is also focusing on the problem of negative social comparison and low self-image. He also stated that he is developing ways to âintervene if he notices that someone is suffering from certain types of contentâ.
For these reasons, earlier this year, the social network revealed that it intends to launch a dedicated platform for children under 13.
However, the decision was not welcomed with open arms. Therefore, several US officials have said they will launch an investigation into the negative impact reported by Instagram, because so far, â ⬠ÅFacebook has provided evasive responses that have been misleading and and covered clear evidence of material injury.
