of social media have contributed to a rise in mental health issues among young people, with 38% of 11 to 25-year-olds saying that social media has had a negative impact on the way they see themselves.
The reasons why social media has such damaging potential is still relatively unknown and under-researched. So far, the only objective data available is focused on theBody image and social media: This is the real impact “Instagram vs. reality” posts have on our mental healthwhich demands change. In the report, the organisation calls for big technology companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share data on how their younger users are using the platforms.
Such calls for more rigorous, in-depth research have been stepped-up in recent years. The tragic death by suicide of 14-year-old Molly Russell in 2017 was a wake-up call for many people as to the hidden dangers social media can pose to vulnerable young people. Molly, who was suffering from, was found to have been looking at “bleak depressive material” and graphic images of self-harm before she died.
Molly’s father Ian Russell believes that unchecked algorithms pushed more and more of this sort of content on his daughter, contributing to her state of mind when she was at her most vulnerable. He set up the Molly Rose Foundation in his daughter’s memory and has campaigned against social media harm since her death.