It may be hard to imagine now, but not long ago there was no social media, and there were no cameras on our phones. But today, some of the most widely used social media platforms affect not only the way we communicate with the world, but also how we think the world sees us. This is the concern of parents and mental health professionals.

Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, a child psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, said: “There has been a lot of news about social media applications and their impact on body image—especially for teenage girls.” “There is evidence that selfies and filters Mirror and Photoshop can cause body image problems and body deformities."

Physical malformation is a clinically recognized mental health disorder in which one person is over-focused on one or more self-perceived appearance defects or defects, even if other people cannot see the "defect".

Check out the Boston Children’s Family Digital Health Guide to learn more about age-appropriate ways to help children become what Dr. Sinclair McBride calls "knowledgeable online citizens."

Sinclair-McBride said that the difference between body deformity and other self-esteem problems is its impact on someone's ability of daily living. This means that their obsession with appearance causes children or adolescents to stop eating or sleeping, unable to complete school or work tasks, and stay away from their peers or relatives.

"I think what we see in many adolescents is general physical dissatisfaction, rather than clinically more serious physical deformities," she pointed out.

Despite this, she still believes that the impact of social media on young people deserves attention.

This is her suggestion to help children protect themselves.

"Everyone has spent so much time in virtual spaces lately that revised and well-planned social media feeds have become a way many children are used to meeting friends and family," Sinclair-McBride Say.

"There is evidence to support this observation that although children are good at paying attention to filters and Photoshop, etc., they don't necessarily fully understand how they work," she added. "Therefore, there is an indefinable disconnect between acknowledging the existence of filters and photo enhancements and understanding how people (especially celebrities and popular social media stars) use these tools to change their appearance online."

Sinclair-McBride said that many times, young people do not realize that social media is manipulating how they view themselves. But helping them realize this provides an opportunity for empowerment.

"Children-especially teenagers-don't like the idea that they are being deceived or influenced," Sinclair-McBride said. She encourages parents to use this pursuit of control to help young people see that many of the factors that drive many businesses are making consumers feel that they need to buy specific products to make them look better or better.

"Once kids find that they feel bad about themselves, they are likely to think,'I can see through this plan. I can decide what kind of person I want to be,'" Sinclair McBride said.

In response to this self-criticism instilled on the phone, Sinclair-McBride has some simple reminders:

"I have been reminding patients that if Snapchat has filters that can make you look like a baby or a dog, don't you think it can slightly change the appearance of a face? A perfect face and body is not a reality."

Sinclair-McBride added that for every social media account that publicly or subtly promotes eating disorders or beauty changes, there are communities that promote self-love.

"There are many social media accounts and virtual communities about physical positivity. Finding only a few of them can change the algorithm of a child's social feed. Over time, this will have a positive impact on the images they see every day."

Most importantly, Sinclair-McBride urges parents to emphasize how unique and powerful their children are already.

"It is very important that we help young people be grateful for all the things their bodies can do and will do in the future. They are much more than they seem."

Learn more about the departments of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and how they treat diseases and disorders that affect the emotional, behavioral, and social health of children and young people.

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