- What does it mean for a teenager to have a negative self-image and low self-esteem? How might it affect them?
- Why do we focus on social media and not on other media and formats like movies and advertisements? Didn't the same thing happen before social media existed?
- Do you think that if we reduced our social media use we would have better mental health?
- How can we help a teenager realize that they shouldn't compare themselves to people who aren't real? What can we tell them?
- What can I say to my son to help him accept his body?
- Can't wanting to eat well, exercise, and look good also be a positive thing?
- Can we detect at home when an obsession with image and a cult of beauty starts to become a problem?
- My daughter has anorexia and it seems that she's finding profiles on social media that encourage and exacerbate this disorder. Should I forbid her from going online? How can I monitor her?
- How can we boost our children's self-esteem, beyond social media?
- Filters that remove wrinkles or reduce body mass allow us to change our appearance and create a persona we're not. Could this lead us to increasingly avoid personal contact in order to conceal our true selves?
- Why do we always talk about teenagers? Doesn't it affect adults?
- Do you know of any initiatives with good results for addressing this issue in schools?
- Can social pressure to always be happy lead to depression?
- Can celebrities talking about their mental health disorders create a trend or trivialize them?
- If I notice that my daughter is discriminating against someone because of their appearance, what can I do or say to her?
- What can I do if I see that a girl from my school is being bullied through social media?
- It seems that we parents are always blamed for our children's use of social media or for whether or not they have good self-esteem.
- My daughter loves wearing makeup and posting her makeup routines on social media. Could this be harmful, or should I think it's normal?
Why do we focus on social media and not on other media and formats like movies and advertisements? Didn't the same thing happen before social media existed?
The communication formats that existed before the advent of social media significantly influenced, and continue to influence, teenagers. The most common psychological process through which they are influenced is identification with role models: previously footballers, singers, actors, and actresses, and now also YouTubers, influencers, Instagrammers, TikTokers, streamers , and so on.
But social networks constitute a new means of connection and relationship between equals with particular codes, channels and dynamics.
On the one hand, they are a real and central medium in the lives of teenagers . Movies, advertisements, or radio are not forms of interconnection. This is one of the major differences.
Socialization, the search for a social group, and the need for belonging are crucial elements in the psychological development of adolescents. Online role models establish a closer relationship with them, addressing adolescents directly. Therefore, they are fulfilling this active psychological need during this stage of development.
On the other hand, social networks are a means of peer socialization . Conventional media are not. And this is where a new digital universe of socialization opens up, influencing the daily lives of teenagers as much as, or even more than, analog social interactions.
How social media pressure affects our emotional well-being