Imagine being just 11 years old and already believing you’re not pretty enough, not cool enough, or not good enough, all because of what you see on a screen. Imagine a world where confidence fades before it even has a chance to grow. That world isn’t imaginary. It’s the one today’s children are growing up in.
We must recognize the harm social media causes to young children’s self-image and begin treating it as a serious and urgent issue, not just a minor side effect of the digital age. Every day, children log into apps where beauty is filtered, bodies are edited, and lives are presented as perfect. And while adults may understand the illusion, children absorb it as truth. They see these idealized versions of people and begin to question their own worth: “Why isn’t my life that exciting?” “What’s wrong with me?”
Social media is shaping the way young people define beauty, success, and happiness. But instead of building them up, it’s quietly tearing them down, one scroll at a time. The screen becomes a fake mirror, showing distorted reflections of reality that children begin to accept as normal. And when a child starts to believe they’re not good enough based on something that isn’t even real, the damage runs deep.
As a young person growing up in the age of Instagram, TikTok, and filters, I’ve seen firsthand how easy it is for kids to compare themselves to what they see online. I’ve watched classmates delete posts that didn’t get enough likes. I’ve seen friends change their faces with filters before they’ve even finished middle school. And most painfully, I’ve seen how all of it chips away at their self-worth. It’s happening quietly, invisibly, but constantly.
Have you ever looked at a photo online and thought, “Why don’t I look like that?”
It’s a quiet question, but it echoes. It echoes through scrolls, through screens, through selfies. It echoes in the bathroom mirror before school. It echoes in locker rooms, in bedrooms, in sleepovers.
It echoes in the hearts of children who haven’t even finished growing. And worst of all, it echoes without being questioned.
Kids are constantly bombarded with filtered, photoshopped images that make them feel like they don’t measure up. These pictures aren’t real, but the emotions they stir are. That’s the danger.
Many influencers only post their best moments, perfect lighting, perfect skin, perfect lives, making kids believe that’s what every day should look like. When they scroll through those curated snapshots, they don’t see the behind-the-scenes: the makeup, the editing apps, the dozens of deleted takes. All they see is a life that looks better than theirs.
Social media has become the modern magic mirror, except instead of saying, “You’re the fairest of them all,” it whispers, “You’re not enough.” (Alluding to Snow White.)
I saw it happen to my little sister. She’s 11. She started using anti-aging creams and harsh exfoliants because a 20-year-old influencer told her she needed to. She followed a skincare routine meant for adults with mature skin, not for a child whose body is still developing. Her face broke out badly. She had to see a dermatologist. But the worst part wasn’t the irritation it was watching her confidence slowly disappear, one product at a time.
And she’s not alone . Just like Pandora opened a box she couldn’t close, social media has unleashed pressures on kids that we’re still struggling to contain. (Alluding to the Greek Myth of Pandora’s Box)
According to a 2021 Wall Street Journal investigation, Instagram makes body image issues worse for 1 in 3 teenage girls.
That’s not just a statistic, that’s one in every three girls in a classroom, a soccer team, or a group of friends.
And these struggles start younger than we think.
Girls who already feel insecure about their appearance feel even worse after scrolling. And many don’t just feel bad for an hour, they carry that sadness into their days, into their meals, into their mental health. The National Eating Disorders Association reported a 40% increase in helpline calls during the pandemic, many directly tied to social media pressure.
Children, some as young as 10 or 11, are calling because they don’t feel good enough in their own skin.
Some kids base their entire self-worth on how many likes or followers they have. Imagine a child refreshing their feed over and over, hoping someone tells them they’re worth something.
Girls are wearing makeup to bed because they’re scared to show their real face.
They think their bare skin is something to hide, not something to celebrate. Boys are pushing themselves in the gym at 12 or 13, not for health, but for muscle definition. Trying to match the physiques of influencers who post edited body shots and claim it’s “all natural.”
Their worth is now measured in views, not values. In filters, not feelings.
Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist, called social media “a race to the bottom of the brainstem.”
These platforms aren’t built for joy or truth, they’re engineered to trigger. To exploit our insecurities. To keep young people hooked, even when it’s harming them. Especially when it’s harming them.
In Greek mythology, Narcissus stared into his own reflection until he drowned, consumed by an image that wasn’t even real. (Alluding to the Greek myth of the figure Narcissus)
Aren’t we doing the same? Drowning in filtered reflections? Obsessing over a version of ourselves that doesn’t even exist?
While these effects are scary, there is something we can do about it.
We can post more real, kind, and diverse content that shows kids all kinds of people are beautiful and worthy.
Representation matters. When kids see people who look like them, with real skin, real bodies, real lives, they start to believe they are enough too.
We can choose authenticity over aesthetics. We can choose real over retouched. We can choose truth over trends.
Each post, each story, each comment can be a seed of positivity instead of pressure.
Parents and schools can teach digital literacy. We can help kids understand how filters work, how marketing works, how to question what they see online. We can help them build confidence offline, through hobbies, friendships, learning, and love that isn’t dependent on double-taps.
And here’s the truth: you don’t need a blue checkmark to be an influencer. You already are one. Every one of us influences others, with every scroll, every post, every like.
So what if we used that influence to uplift instead of tear down? To connect instead of compare?
Social media hurts young children’s self-image by showing them fake perfection, causing mental health issues, and making them question their worth, but we can use these platforms for good instead. Let’s be the reason a child feels proud of who they are. Let’s flood the feed with truth. With honesty. With hope. Because behind every filtered post is a child wondering if they’re enough.
Let’s be the voice that says, you are.
Thank you for your time and for caring about the minds and hearts of our future generation.
May 9, 2025
Works Cited
“Eating Disorders – CHOC – Children’s Health Hub.” CHOC – Children’s Hospital of Orange County, https://health.choc.org/Guides Accessed 3 May 2025.
“Facebook Aware of Instagram’s Harmful Effect on Teenage Girls.” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/sep. Accessed 2 May 2025.
“Good Morning. I Want to Argue Today That Persuasive …” Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/file . Accessed 7 May 2025.
“How Using Social Media Affects Teenagers.” Child Mind Institute, https://childmind.org/article/how-using-social-media Accessed 4 May 2025.
“The Myth of Pandora: The Story Behind Pandora’s Box.” Greek Myths – Greek Mythology, https://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/pandora Accessed 5 May 2025.
“Narcissus (Mythology) | EBSCO Research Starters.” EBSCO, https://www.ebsco.com/religion-and-philosophy/narcissus Accessed 5 May 2025.
“Social Media Can Impact Youth Mental Health, Self-Image.” WVU Medicine, https://wvumedicine.org/News-Feed Accessed 5 May 2025.
