Young people spend around 7.5 hours engaged with media daily. A study of university women found that comparing themselves to celebrities and acquaintances on social media often makes them feel worse about their own lives and appearances. Research shows that 'fitspo' media focusing on dieting and exercise to look fit can lower women's self-esteem. Around a third of women worldwide have suffered from eating disorder issues, and studies link disordered eating attitudes to high social media addiction and exposure to thin ideals regularly portrayed online and in media. Unrealistic beauty standards in media have also been shown to influence body dissatisfaction among both women and men.

1. The facts and Research

2. "On a typical day, 8 – 18-year-olds are
engaged with some form of media about 7.5
hours"

3. A survey of 277 female university students
showed that women often feel worse when
comparing themselves to celebrities and
acquaintances. This is due to the fact that
they don't know the behind the scenes of
these people's lives

4. "Fitspo" is social media content that
focuses on dieting and exercises in order to
look fit. A study at the University of West
England showed that women who viewed
fitspo rather than positive and uplifting
quotes rated their self esteem as lower

5. 1/3
of women in the world have suffered from problems related to
eating disorders

6. A University of Cordoba "study suggests a
connection between disordered eating
attitudes, negative impacts of exposure to
thin-ideal content, addiction to social
media and intrauterine testosterone levels"

7. A 2012 study "showed an increase in pro
eating, pro-ana and thinspiration sites the
same month that Lady Gaga’s story [one
about weight loss] was covered in the news
media"

8. "Studies have shown that... appearance-
specific comparisons on social media may
heighten risk for disordered eating and
body image concerns." 69% of American
elementary school girls who read
magazines report that the pictures
influence their idea of a perfect body and
47% report the pictures make them want to
lose weight.

9. Men are also affected by unrealistic beauty
standards as "pressure from mass media to
be muscular also appears to be related to
body dissatisfaction among men"