A major new study has revealed that social media is driving a crisis of body dissatisfaction among children and young people in the UK. Three out of four children as young as 12 dislike their bodies and feel embarrassed by their appearance, with the figure rising to eight in 10 among 18- to 21-year-olds.
The research, conducted by the youth mental health charity stem4, surveyed 1,024 individuals aged 12 to 21. It found that nearly half had become withdrawn, exercised excessively, stopped socialising or self-harmed due to online bullying or trolling about their looks. Four in ten reported mental health distress, with almost one in five experiencing body image issues and 14% facing eating difficulties such as extreme restrictive eating, binge eating or purging.
Despite 97% of 12-year-olds being on social media, almost 70% said it made them feel stressed, anxious or depressed. Yet the average daily usage was 3.65 hours, and 95% felt unable to quit. Dr Nihara Krause, founder of stem4, warned that algorithms amplify harmful content, trapping young people in a cycle of comparison and distress.
The findings come amid growing public concern over social media's impact on youth mental health, highlighted by recent cases such as the death of Molly Russell and evidence that platforms like TikTok promote pro-anorexia content to minors. The charity is calling for urgent action to address the issue.
