Children and youth under the influence of online images
18:07
As much as 62 percent of teenagers believe that only attractive people can achieve something, according to a study by the Give Children Strength Foundation. The unlimited access to the internet and the activity of young people on social media make its impact even stronger. Young people are paying an increasingly high price for the beauty standards presented online.
Research conducted by the Give Children Strength Foundation in 2021 shows that 23 percent of teenagers are present on social media non-stop, and 69 percent are active there from several to a dozen times a day. What they see there has an impact on their mood, behavior, and self-image.
"Our research shows a really sad, even dramatic picture of how teenagers feel about themselves: every third girl (33 percent) and every fifth boy (21 percent) feel pressure to look better. For many, their body becomes an enemy, their reflection in the mirror or their image in a photo causes frustration, reluctance, depression, and even hatred," psychotherapist Ewa Dziemidowicz, an expert in child and youth online safety from the Give Children Strength Foundation, said.
