The Negative Effects of Use of Instagram on Teenagers’ Self-Esteem

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What Are the Negative Effects of the use of Instagram on Teenagers’ Self-Esteem?
Social media has become one of the most interactive and dynamic online niches where individuals can communicate with others or express themselves in diverse ways. It incorporates different platforms, each with distinct features that allow users freedom to execute numerous communication options. Instagram is one of these applications, whose use in contemporary times has grown rapidly, making it a popular place for youngsters to frequent. It is a social media platform with features that enable people to post and share their pictures and videos with unprecedented ease. Today, Instagram has gained so much popularity that it ranks among the leading interactive media among teenagers. Trends indicate that a significant proportion of individuals within this group across the globe are frequent users, making Instagram a major influencer of their perspectives towards self and life. The frenzy towards it arises because it offers distinguished services that make it an appealing platform for persons to interact and share their experiences with friends and the world, motivating them to achieve more in life. Despite its benefits, concerns are rising that it affects users’ health by causing teenagers’ anxiety, depression, and insecurity.
Experts have closely associated the increasing use of Instagram with anxiety among teenagers. For instance, the evidence presented in various media sites indicates that its craze is akin to addiction, which induces a strong fear of missing out among this group (BBC News). The overreliance on images and their association with popularity trigger deep feelings of inadequacy, which causes anxiety among the users. Some researchers argue that teenagers should be careful while using this platform because long hours of exposure to its content can have long-term complications associated with an anxiety disorder (Heid). These outcomes arise through constant urges that push individuals to spend more time engrossed in the platform. Rather than spending their time executing other constructive activities, teenagers become slaves to the site, which interrupts their capacity to meet other daily routines, including education. As a result, these individuals become excessively worried about the ongoing events in the platform that they may not encounter unless they are persistently interacting with it. Such an aspect interrupts normal moods, translating to mental health issues. These outcomes demonstrate how destructive this platform can be without appropriate controls.
The rate of depressions associated with Instagram has been alarming. In her article, Woo explores the various obsessive-inducing features that pose a major risk to mental health. As a result, she claims that the emerging trends about the site being a depressive trigger is not surp...