UMN specialist urges responsible social media use to promote healthy body image for kids

(MNN)-The University of Minnesota is diving into how teenagers increased overall time on social media is impacting their body image and mental health. Extension Specialist Avelina (ave-UH-lina) Rivero says Adolescent girls in particular are at high risk for body image concerns and disordered eating development. This is especially so during puberty.

“Seeing these precepted bodies that are very fake, but to them, they don’t realize that it’s fake. It can make them feel and yearn to look like that and put them at risk for engaging in social comparison,” says UMN Extension Specialist Avelina Rivero.

Rivero says this begins a negative spiral into worsening mental and physical health. She notes that in 2023, adolescents spent 4.8 hours a day on their phones