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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Amelia Hill

Social media triggers children to dislike their own bodies, says study

A survey conducted by youth mental health charity stem4 found that nearly half of the children and young people questioned had become withdrawn, started exercising excessively, stopped socialising completely or self-harmed in response to online bullying and trolling about their physical appearance.
Four in 10 young people questioned in the stem4 survey said they were in mental health distress. Photograph: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

Three out of four children as young as 12 dislike their bodies and are embarrassed by the way they look, increasing to eight in 10 young people aged 18 to 21.

The findings come from a major new study warning that social media represents a significant risk to the current and future health of today’s young generations.

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