Student Spectrums

One of the most common “cons” or “disadvantages” one may associate with social media is the negative body image it creates among teens, whether in boys or girls. And though social media undoubtedly plays a large role in the physical standards teens have set for themselves, it cannot carry full responsibility for this issue.

What we tend to do is blame others for the “bad” behaviour children come home with, or their “disrespectful” attitude, or in this case, their unhealthy mindsets. But what we don’t do is look within our homes and assess the issue. I believe that everything begins within the home, whether that’s attitude, habits, or especially mindsets.

What children are taught firsthandly behind closed doors is what they’ll take with them outside those doors. Taking this concept and applying it to the rise in body image issues among teens, we may see that sometimes it really isn’t the phone, and instead this issue begins within the home. 

A lot of times it’s easy to blame social media for creating unrealistic standards, and causing teens to compare themselves to others, but social media only truly comes into play at the age of 8 or 9 nowadays. And though this is very young, kids begin developing their perspective of themselves from much younger. In “Developmental Roots of Human Self-consciousness”, Phillipe Rochat states, “…it is safe to say that, in typical human development, the first signs of unambiguous self-image management and the very human propensity to cultivate positive impressions in others emerge by the middle of the second year.” This shows that the home has the first impression on a child’s mind, and begins shaping it far before social media has the hence. It’s the core values developed in the home that social media builds upon.

Knowing that one develops an image of themself at a young age, we can take this and put it into the context of a conventionally “supportive” and “healthy” family. They practice consuming in moderation, they try not to buy processed foods because it goes out too fast. And though they practice moderation, they make comments like “If you take that much now, you won’t be able to have seconds”. And though they are supportive of each other, the child watches their mother become frustrated at herself rather than her clothes from last winter. These are only examples of ways in which a child is taught what is wrong.

However, when turning this around, a mom may say something like, “Well, isn’t it amazing these still fit me? They’re from a couple years back”. These phrases and behaviors are what shape a child’s mind and create the mental boundaries between right and wrong, good and bad. These behaviors tell a child what they should or shouldn’t look like, even when they’re not explicitly stated. Hence, while social media significantly impacts a child’s mindset, one must recognize that the change solely stems from the environment of the household itself.