The more time we spend using the internet, the more likely we are to feel dissatisfied with our body. This is what a study led by the researcher in Health Sciences Allison Carter, from Simon Fraser University (SFU), points out. The research, which focused on Canadian women between 12 and 29 years old, reveals that they are more likely to feel dissatisfied with their physical appearance if they spend more than 20 hours a week connected to the Internet , explains the university through its website .
“Based on a survey we conducted of 3,000 young Canadians, we found that one in five spend more than twenty hours a week online outside of work or school,” Carter explains. “These women were three times the body dissatisfaction rate of those who went online for less than an hour a week . Those who spent between 11 and 20 hours online were also more likely to feel less satisfied with their bodies.” Likewise, the study reveals that women between the ages of 25 and 29 suffer higher levels of dissatisfaction (21%) than those under 14 years of age (6%).
Carter explains that the results obtained indicate that the use of the internet is a risk factor when it comes to suffering from body dissatisfaction, which is also associated with a series of health problems that range from low self-esteem and depression to eating disorders .
“The ubiquity of the internet confirms the great role it will continue to play in the lives of young Canadians. We need to help them take part in it in a positive way, for example by limiting (themselves) their exposure time to the screen, to recognize and oppose content that affects their self-esteem and body image, and to develop resilience and a healthy sense of identity beyond what we see outside. “
As Carter points out in statements to British media CBC News, “these days, with the rapid growth of Facebook and Instagram, the opportunities for physical comparisons are unprecedented.” Likewise, websites and advertisements that target young women and girls ” tend to focus on idealized aspects of female beauty : fitness, makeup, health, beauty and celebrities,” the researcher specifies.
