Since the late 1940s, we have been living in the digital age. Simply put, the digital age refers to the era in which technology is adopted into all aspects of life, including economics, business, and culture.
Society has progressed to great heights since the digital age. Thanks to the advancement of technology, the world of medicine has vastly improved, and our healthcare system has strengthened through our ability to document and extract data on patients’ health.
Moreover, the education system continuously finds new ways to utilize technology to aid students’ educational journeys. Educators use internet-based tools to elevate students’ education and seek opportunities to enhance student collaboration and communication.
While the current era has provided us with a plethora of benefits, it simultaneously ushered in many mental health issues. Teenage girls are one of the groups most affected by this current era. The digital age has intensified mental health disorders among this group through exposure to cyberbullying, unrealistic beauty standards, and social comparison.
Generation Z women have learned to adapt to social media and the advancement of technology. However, Generation Alpha girls are currently navigating the digital age and facing obstacles along the way.
The Downside of the Digital Age
With personal information becoming more accessible, cyberbullying has arisen as a prominent issue. Cyberbullying is a modern form of bullying in which people harass and target others online. Cyberbullies often find their targets through social media platforms. Once they set their sights on a target, they can quickly discover private information.
The internet’s anonymity can make cyberbullying more threatening than face-to-face bullying, as they are less likely to face direct consequences. A tactic cyberbullies employ to evade responsibility for their malicious actions is creating “burner accounts,” which are accounts that are not associated with a person’s name.
Research by Inna Agadzhanova, an online safety activist, shows that there are more girls than boys who have reported being victims of cyberbullying. Common ways teen girls are cyberbullied are remarks about their appearance, offensive name-calling, the spread of false rumors, and receiving unsolicited explicit images.
A majority of Gen Alpha is presently experiencing girlhood. Girlhood, coined in the mid-1700s, marks the adolescent years of a girl right before she becomes a woman. In its idealistic core, girlhood is a period where girls should live carefree, form meaningful friendships, and nurture their self-esteem.
Social comparison has always lurked in this time of self-discovery. However, social media has imposed and saturated kids with idealistic imagery, which has dropped their self-esteem.
With social media dictating and ingraining how women should look, what is socially acceptable, and what deems someone to be good enough, teen girls are constantly comparing themselves to unattainable standards. Continuous social comparison is causing adolescents and teens to undergo depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.
Social comparison has made it challenging for teenage girls to sustain self-esteem in their natural beauty. In recent years, social media, namely Instagram, X, and TikTok, have promoted women who Photoshop their pictures and get plastic surgery to obtain superficial beauty. It is also worth noting that angles, lighting, and filters are focal in creating these unrealistic images.
When teen girls see these influencers and Instagram models receive a flood of comments praising them for their superficial beauty, it constructs a distorted image of what is considered beautiful and what isn’t. As a result, teen girls’ self-confidence is at an all-time low.
Gen Z women, now in their late teens to early 20s, have had the opportunity to participate in the mental health conversation and recognize that excessive editing is prevalent in social media posts. Unfortunately, many Gen Alpha girls have yet to discern this.
Young girls are commonly unaware of the prevalence and usage of all these photo techniques in the media they consume. Their lack of awareness can lead to an unhealthy perception that what they consume on their screen is what they should strive for.
Empowering Girls in the Digital Age
With all the challenges the digital age poses to girls, we must learn how to adapt and navigate the era healthily. Technology has offered us countless benefits and is here to stay, so we must ensure that this platform is a safe space.
Given the prevalence of online bullying, it is imperative to learn how to protect yourself. Some helpful strategies include making your social media accounts private, blocking people at the first sign of bullying, reporting them, protecting passwords, and avoiding posting personal details.
Parents can also play a pivotal role in girls’ exposure to digital media. They are uniquely positioned to educate their kids on online safety. This conversation is best started when children are given their first piece of technology.
Studies have shown that social media perpetuates harmful body image. Research by the American Psychology Association indicates that “teens and young adults who reduced their social media use by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant improvement in how they felt about both their weight and their overall appearance compared with peers who maintained consistent levels of social media use.”
Other ways to improve your self-confidence are to practice positive affirmations, focus on the things you love about yourself, and engage in self-care.
A few things I implement to sustain self-confidence are routinely going to the gym, dressing in clothes that make me feel beautiful, going to sleep recounting all the goals I accomplished for the day, and surrounding myself with people who see my entire worth.
Practicing the above tools and finding influencers who promote a positive mindset will help build a positive social media experience.
Some of my favorite influencers are Megg Boggs, Spencer Barbosa, Jamie Pandit, Keara Graves, and Mindset Alex. These influencers are composed of women who promote women’s empowerment, body positivity, healthy nutrition, queer awareness, and more.
What challenges have you faced as a girl in the digital age? What did you do to overcome those challenges? Let us know @HerCampusSJSU!