An experiment in Canada with young people between 17 and 24 years old detected positive effects after just a week’s break in the use of platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
The infinite possibilities for observing other people’s lives that social networks offer and the abundance of “perfect bodies” in these digital environments may be damaging the self-esteem and self-image of young women, points out a study from York University in Toronto, Canada, recently published in the scientific journal ScienceDirect.
The conclusion came after an experiment with 66 university undergraduate students aged between 17 and 24, divided into two groups: one spent a whole week without using TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook; the other continued using the platforms as usual.
All participants responded to questionnaires administered before and after the experiment, reporting on how they felt about themselves and how they perceived their own bodies – whether, for example, they were satisfied with what they saw in the mirror and whether they would like to be like others. models who appear on magazine covers.
According to the authors of the study, the group that underwent digital detox had a significant improvement in terms of self-esteem and self-image, with women susceptible to the thin ideal being those who had the greatest gains in this regard.
“Taking a break from social media appears to be an especially useful strategy for women who are at risk of developing eating disorders because they place an excessive value on thinness,” say researchers from York University’s psychology department.
The authors of the study, however, emphasize that the causes of this improvement must be better investigated, as these women may be more exposed to content that reinforces this ideal of thinness. Taking a break from social networks, in this case, would interrupt a vicious cycle where low self-esteem and a bad image of one’s own body feed on each other.
“Repeated exposure to images of idealized bodies, combined with appreciation and dissatisfaction with one’s own image, can lead an individual to see themselves in a more negative light”, point out the researchers. “Similarly, low self-esteem can make an individual more vulnerable to social pressures, such as having the perfect body”, so digital detox would limit opportunities to compare oneself to others.
Another hypothesis is that digital detox may have led to the adoption of new behaviors, or different behaviors, such as spending more time outdoors, socializing with friends, sleeping more or exercising – all activities that have been proven to contribute to mental and physical health. This, in turn, could have induced more positive thoughts and feelings about one’s body.
Researcher advocates greater awareness of network risks
Coordinator of the study, psychology professor Jennifer Mills has been researching media used by women and their relationship with well-being and eating disorders for more than two decades.
On the German portal Tagesschau, Mills points out that the consumption of information by women changed a lot during this period. If before they could only spend a limited time consuming fashion and beauty magazines that came out only once a week, today, with social media, this possibility has increased exponentially.
Therefore, the psychologist argues that it is necessary to make people more aware of the risks of social networks, and that platforms need to give users more autonomy so that they can decide how to interact with these technologies.
