Here is how photo-retouching apps can be detrimental for your teen’s body image
Ever since its advent, social media has become an integrated part of social interaction in today’s day and age. Initially, it was created with the idea of allowing users to expand their circles using the vast possibilities of the internet. However, with apps such as Instagram and Twitter taking over, this idea has shifted with time. Especially for teenagers, social media has become a platform to portray the best possible, perfectly curated version of their lives. A significant part of this involves sharing the most flattering photos of themselves- which may actually be impossible to recreate in real life. For this, photo retouching apps come to the rescue. From editing skin tones, and filtering zits to creating a fake 6-pack, such apps help teens create problematically “perfect,” unrealistic, idealised versions of themselves digitally. Read on to learn more about how these photo-retouching apps may not be the best for your teen’s self-esteem and body image.
What do photo-retouching do exactly?
If used mindfully, photo-retouching apps can be quite helpful. After all, their fundamental purpose is to make photos look better. One can take a mediocre image of a scenery and edit it to look like something that could be published in a magazine. The features usually include various filters and tints, brightness and contrast adjustment, defocus of backgrounds, enhance details, etc.
How can photo-retouching apps be detrimental for your teen?
There are specific apps targeted primarily to enhance one’s facial features like removing blemishes, red eyes, reshape and resize various features, whiten teeth, smoothen skin, etc. It is these apps that teens tend to get swept away with. Although there is nothing wrong in wanting to enhance one’s photo, being addicted to it to the point of feeling low about oneself in real life is definitely harmful. Here is how these app may affect your youngster’s mental health.
They set unrealistic beauty standards
This has to be, by far, one of the biggest consequences of photo-retouching apps. Teens feel the need to emulate their favourite celebrities and influencers online, who mostly have professional make-up done and have entire graphic teams to edit their selfies. In reality, it is highly unlikely for a person to look like how they do on Instagram. This fact is lost on young, impressionable teens who are eager to do what it takes to look like them.
They can lead to self-esteem issues
This consequence is tied to the one related to unrealistic beauty standards. In a quest for achieving virtual beauty in real life, teens usually end up believing that just because they can’t achieve a specific look, they lack beauty. This can lead to severe self-image issues. After all, appearance is an important factor which adds to one’s personality. If your teen is affected by this, remind her to be realistic, appreciate herself and not be gullible to what she sees online.
They are creating a generation obsessed with looks
Taking care of one’s appearance is one thing, but being obsessed with it is completely different. It is no secret that social media favours good looks. Social media being extremely important for teens, they might end up convinced that looks are all there is to a person. ‘It is important to remind your youngster that attitude, skills, and competence are of utmost importance and must not be overshowed by one’s biased perception related to physical aesthetics.