September 20, 2021

Picture Perfect: How laws, rulings, and educators can help students handle the pressure to be perfect

This week we learned that Facebook executives reportedly have known for years that its Instagram app is harmful to teens, especially teen girls. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, Facebook conducted internal studies over the past three years to examine how Instagram affects its user base, with teenage girls being most negatively impacted. “Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,” the researchers reportedly wrote, with a reported 14 percent of boys in the U.S. sharing the same sentiment. 

Obviously, social media is not going away. But the good news is, we can empower students to use Instagram and other platforms to enhance their lives while avoiding pitfalls. By encouraging students to follow the Social Institute’s Seven Social Standards and by teaching them to spot what’s real and what’s not on social media, apps like Instagram can become a healthier and safer space for connecting, creativity, and self-expression.

Photoshop Fails 

The rise of photo editing tools like Photoshop and so-called beauty filters like Facetune have made altered photos all too common. They expose students to unrealistic beauty standards and an almost constant pressure to look perfect. A 2016 study found that exposure to altered social media images is directly linked to lower body image among adolescent girls. 

So, what is being done to remind students that they are perfect just as they are? How can we help students understand that they don’t need to go to extremes to look like the models and influencers they might see on their social feeds?

First, we can remind students that what they are seeing may be too good to be true. It’s often hard to tell when photos have been edited. But savvy users will often notice details such as warped walls in the background, since Facetune has an option to pinch areas of the body or face to make them larger or smaller, often distorting the background in the process. 

Thankfully, some celebrities are pushing back against this trend. In 2015, Zendaya objected when a magazine manipulated her photo to make her hips and torso look smaller. She took to Instagram to publicize her concern and released the untouched photo next to the manipulated one.  This is a helpful reminder that not even the stars are as picture-perfect as they may seem.

What You’re Seeing May Not Be Legal

This summer, Norway passed a law that requires all content creators to disclose when they have filtered or retouched a photo. This new law applies to social media influencers, celebrities, and advertisers. In addition, the law mandates that social media influencers must be transparent as to whether or not the post is a paid advertisement. 

This law will hopefully remind social media users that even the models they see on their feeds aren’t a true representation of what a person actually looks like, alleviating some of the pressure to be perfect. 

Earlier this year in the United Kingdom, Skinny Tan reposted a picture of social media influencer, Elly Norris, wearing fake tanner. The picture showed Norris’ newly tanned face and shoulders with the caption “So impressed with how that went on, honestly like no other fake tan I’ve ever put on, and the smell is just something else. Can’t wait to see what it’s like tomorrow morning.” The ad was submitted to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) with claims that it was misleading and did not accurately portray the product. After a full review, the ASA concluded that the use of an Instagram beauty filter called “Perfect Tan” (yes, really) exaggerated the effects of the fake tan product, causing the post to be deemed as misleading advertising. The ad was taken down and the ASA demanded that Skinny Tan refrain from applying beauty filters in future advertisements.

Social Pressures

At The Social Institute, one of the seven standards we advocate is Handle The Pressure. While it’s no secret that social platforms put pressure on us, knowing how to handle those pressures can be a real struggle. 

In one study, 80% of users reported feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and panicked about social media. Their reasoning is a “pressure to be perfect”. Additionally, a 2017 report by the Royal Society for Public Health found that Instagram is the worst social media platform for young people’s mental health. With new laws like the one Norway passed and agencies like the ASA keeping tabs on misleading images, hopefully, social media can become a healthier, more authentic platform.

However, laws like these only do so much to help alleviate this pressure to look perfect. Filtering and photoshopping are almost a given these days, and students know it. 

So, what else can we do?

Another Social Standard we talk about a lot is Finding Your Influencers by filling your feed with positive role models who are more authentic with what they share. We can ask students, “Are the influencers you follow positively contributing to your social-emotional health? Are they influencing you in a productive and healthy way?” If not, we can ask, “Should you be following them?”

Interested in learning other ways to help students handle the pressure of social media, technology, and beyond? Request a personalized demo of the #WinAtSocial online learning platform that empowers students to positively navigate their social world.


About The Social Institute

The Social Institute partners with schools nationwide to empower students, families, and educators to positively navigate social-emotional health, social media, and technology. Schools access our student-respected, turnkey curriculum through WinAtSocial.com, an interactive, gamified learning platform. With solutions for students, parents, and educators, we offer a systemic and comprehensive SEL program through a unique and positive approach. We are proud to serve public and independent partners such as Ravenscroft School, Woodward Academy, Oldfields School, All Saints Episcopal School, Lake Forest School District, Boston Public Schools, and more. For more information on how to empower your students to make high-character decisions online and off, please contact us.