Snapchat Dysmorphia

Another way social media is destroying our kids’ self esteem.

My students suffer from depression and feelings of isolation more than ever.  I have the unique opportunity to talk and engage with students one-on-one as we discuss all things that lead to college admissions.  Over the years, I have seen what used to be optimistic and hopeful teens become insecure and depressed.  They spend more time alone – thanks to social media – and they feel left out. Now, “Snapchat Dysmorphia” is causing teens to seek plastic surgery to physically change their facial features so they look like they have larger “adorable” eyes with “perfect” flawless skin.

If you haven’t seen images that have been altered with cute filters, check them out here. On the surface, these filters can be entertaining as you see yourself and your friends with whiskers, bunny ears, and those adorable Anime-style eyes.  Unfortunately, this can have very negative effects on teens who are naturally insecure about their acne, length of eyelashes, and other features.

When our children feel left out or face cyberbullying every day, do we want them to also hate the way that they look?  Everyone can find their own personal imperfections.  Seems to me that kids need to hear from parents and others that Snapchat and Facetune can be entertaining – kinda like how we laugh at our distorted images in fun house mirrors – but that looking like that for real is neither realistic nor practical.

[Source]