How Can We Prevent Body Image Harm on Social Media?

In September 2021, Frances Haugen leaked internal Facebook documents reporting that Instagram “make[s] body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.” But it seemed like few were really surprised by this news. Most people already thought there was a body image “problem” on social media. Those of us conducting body image research have been publishing articles for over a decade examining the potential for social media to negatively impact body image. Some activities, such as posting and commenting on selfies, have been found to be among the most seemingly problematic forms of social media engagement because they seem to explicitly promote social comparison and unattainable beauty standards.