Many genders and ages of all people question themselves everyday, “Why can’t I be that pretty/handsome?” “I wish I looked like that” “What can I change about myself to be like that?”, “Maybe I should quit eating.”. Thousands to Millions of teens and adults compare themselves to the appearance and bodies of people on social media. They may compare themselves to their appearances, how much money they have, etc. What issues does that cause? 

    Not only are social media platforms like Instagram, snapchat, facebook, and many others making people look down on themselves but it is a way for people to also talk down on eachother. Instead of lifting eachother up, it seems that people are gaining confidence behind a screen and making people feel stupid about things they post or share about themself. A quote from the website,https://www.forbes.com › sites › kimelsesser › 2021/10/05, states, “Greater time spent on social networking websites led to higher psychological distress, an unmet need for mental health support, poor self-rated mental health, and increased suicidal ideation”. Social media seems to be ruining everyone, not only themselves but people around them. 

    Social media is not always as it seems. Some people make their lives look so easy, happy, exciting, and fulfilling on their socials. But in reality, people never show the negative parts of their life for many reasons. They may want to make people think they are “cool” or are an “exciting” person just so they can hide people from what really goes down for them at home, or away from their device. Not only does this hide the truth but it makes people question their own life and whether or not they are living  life correctly or like everyone around them. This can ruin the self esteem of everyone really quickly like it already has in the past 10 years. 

  In conclusion, social media is something to consider taking a break from here and there. Social media is slowly transforming people negatively everyday whether it’s the way they dress, what they eat, who their friends are, and what they are involved in. Social media is ok sometimes, but it may harm rather than help 50% of the time. Try to take breaks, hang out with your friends, go outside and enjoy the weather/nature, etc. Taking time for yourself is ok! Remember not everything you see on the internet is true.