According to an RSPH survey, Instagram is the most injurious social media platform for young people’s wellbeing to date. The platform has a greater tendency than other platforms to increase feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness in users by harming their body image as well as triggering FOMO, or the fear of missing out.
Currently owned by Facebook, Instagram decided a while ago, however, to shift their focus on sharing content that doesn’t jeopardise its users’ mental health. It started with adding an optional in-app function limiting time spent on the app daily, one that would signal users when they’ve reached the duration they themselves have stipulated as a healthy amount of Instagram per day. This was followed by Instagram’s crackdown on dieting and cosmetic surgery posts for users under 18 years of age, as well as hiding likes (rolled out in some countries) in an effort to encourage users to post what they want rather than what will earn them IG hearts.
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The latest addition to these wellness changes on Instagram is banning a number of augmented reality filters that could promote the use of plastic surgery. Plastica and Fix Me are some of the more well-known of these “plastic surgery filters” that mimic facial surgery on a user’s face, even allowing the users to customise their filter. Instagram now believes filters that simulate lip fillers, facelifts or other well known cosmetic procedures can be damaging to their users’ wellbeing.
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