How Therapists Can Help Young Girls Avoid Self-Image Issues
The potential negative impact of social media on society, particularly among female teenagers is becoming increasingly apparent as it spreads at an alarming rate, even locally here in the Wellington and Lake Worth area of Palm Beach County.
Several studies have found a link between a female teen's teen self-esteem and social media. They engage in levels of social comparison, leading to an even more distorted self-image.
In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, “social media use can also negatively affect teens, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people's lives and peer pressure.”
How Social Media Affects Female Teens
While social media can bring young teen girls together in a positive way, it can also have many negative effects on female teens, even in middle class Lake Worth and upwardly mobile areas like Wellington. Researchers have studied the browsing habits of female teenagers to determine whether negative mental health outcomes are related to online activity.
Negative Body Image
Teens develop a negative self-image when they view other people's social accounts, which have an immediate emotional impact on them. More pressure is placed on female teenagers, particularly on how they should look versus their true self-image. Teen therapy can help a teen's self-esteem, allowing them to be confident in their appearance.
Suicide
According to flhealthcharts.gov, there were approximately 5 suicides per 100,000 females in Palm Beach County in 2020 [VERIFY: confirm this figure and link directly to the source report]. Researchers continue to study how heavy social media use relates to teen mental health, including suicide risk. For some teen girls, stress from social media can add to feelings of hopelessness, which is why it's important to talk openly and reach out for help early. Teenage girls using may encounter cyberbullying online, which has long-term negative effects, including self-injury, desperation, suicidal thoughts, and the capacity to wish to harm others. It is advised for teens going through this to participate in adolescent therapy with a reputable adolescent therapist. Opioid dependence can also become an issue.
Cyberbullying
Bullying has long been a cause of psychological damage, especially in adolescents. Cyberbullying involves distributing false information online, sending rude texts or emails, or posting offensive statements on social media platforms. Cyberbullying has the potential to be exceedingly destructive and has even been linked to suicide in some circumstances.
Depression
Teens that spend most of their time on social media are more likely to experience depression. Self-esteem might be damaged by filtered photos and edited timelines that make them feel inferior or uninteresting compared to their age group. Depression amongst female teens can lead to demoralization, loss of focus, physical and mental health deterioration, and even suicide. Undergoing adolescent therapy with an established teenager therapist can help overcome depression.
How to Stay Balanced and Avoid Self-image Issues
To stay balanced and avoid self-image issues, teens should use face-to-face conversations to openly and confidentially discuss social and emotional well-being with a teen therapist, parent, or friend. Limiting your personal use of social apps or screen time, respecting the limits of others on social media, and discussing how you feel and self-awareness openly with an adolescent therapist like teen therapist Brittany Rice in Lake Worth could also help lift your self-esteem.
As much as social media has many positive effects on society, its negative effects have a long-term impact, especially on teenagers and youths, affecting their mental stability and general well-being. Teens with mental stability issues caused by social media are advised to go through therapy under an established teenager therapist like Brittany Rice to help them improve their mental stability and overall well-being.
At Serene Trails Therapy in Lake Worth and serving all of Palm Beach County, your adolescent daughter or son can learn methods for using social media in a positive way, learn methods for how to boost self-esteem and other methods to enhance your their well-being. Contact Serene Trails Therapy today.
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Need help right now? Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Serene Trails Therapy is not a crisis service, and email, text messages and contact forms are not monitored for emergencies.