I recently did an informal survey of teen girls about what things are on the top of their minds when it comes to screen time issues. Sure enough, that age-old body image issue still ranks high. Of course, summer plays into this right now too, with all the bikini shots (but frankly, those shots get posted all year long).
Most all youth, regardless of gender, confront varying degrees of body-related self-consciousness and dissatisfaction. Unfortunately for some, this can become what I call “the curse of body image concerns” because the thoughts can be so painfully unrelenting.
Today I am sharing an excerpt from an eye-opening article that Rachel Kisela, a wonderful University of Washington student, wrote about how social media messes with our kids' minds about their own sense of attractiveness. Rachel is a deep and savvy thinker who worked with me during the production of Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER.
TikTok: An Algorithmic Perpetuation of “Perfection”
I wouldn’t hesitate to label myself an Internet enthusiast. I’m interested in online content and the sociological interactions that are mediated by the Internet. Coincidentally, TikTok is a gold mine for the sociologically curious. Despite significant security concerns, it is one of the fastest-growing mobile applications in the world.
My intention is not to rehash the impressionability of its young user base, or its marketability — Gen Z is a gold mine for advertisers. What I want to discuss instead is not necessarily just the online world, but what we may pull into the offline world and into our heads. Improbable body and appearance expectations have always been unsolicitedly pushed into the forefront of a lot of young women’s minds, but with TikTok, it’s nearly impossible to look away. The entire empire of social media is built around looks. FaceTune, one of the most popular apps in the Apple App Store worldwide, speedily developed the normalization of body distortion on social media. While ads are legally required to be disclosed on Instagram posts in order to prevent deception, the use of FaceTune and filters to remove blemishes, smooth pores, and contort bodies is nearly ubiquitous among Instagram influencers. However, TikTok plays a unique role in the development of body image because it fundamentally relies on both autonomous and active curation. TikTok’s user interface is insidiously easy to use, endlessly rolling out hundreds of 15-to-60 second videos in one sitting.
When you first open the app, without so much as a questionnaire or “sign up” link, TikTok immediately begins showing you content. Over the following days, it learns what you’ll watch and engage with and tailor its algorithm toward you. What you watch and engage with isn’t necessarily what makes you feel good about yourself, and it might not even be the type of content that you set out to watch on TikTok. In practice, the search feature barely functions, as each video contains so little text metadata that it’s difficult for the search engine to crawl through. This differs from platforms that actively work to populate content with searchable metadata, like YouTube or Instagram. Another unique and pointed design choice made by TikTok in order to maximize the algorithm usage is to make the “For You” page the default landing page for the app. TikTok unabashedly funnels your eyes towards the algorithm, autonomously curating what you consume to keep you engaged as long as possible.
Body Image
Here’s where it gets tricky. Most platforms, like YouTube and Twitter, are primarily self-moderated. There are predominantly successful efforts on the behalf of the company to remove illegal content, but legal grey areas such as hate speech are left up to the users to decide whether or not it’s harmful enough to report. The Internet recently saw one of YouTube’s biggest influencers, Jenna Marbles, cancel herself and recall manually deleting old videos of hers throughout the years in a clear display of self-preservation through self-moderation. Often, the task of moderating YouTube for unsavory content falls onto the shoulders of the creators instead of the company itself. However, TikTok operates on a much higher level of moderation, so much so that it creates a full-on censored environment. Let’s take a look at an example from one of my favorite body-positive TikTok creators, Mik Zazon.
TikTok censored a post that has the hashtag “acne”, and allowed an identical one to go through that did not contain the hashtag. For an algorithmically-driven application, this speaks to the values of the platform. According to leaked Chinese documents acquired by The Intercept in March, TikTok actively promotes the posts of “beautiful” users and demotes the posts of “ugly”, “poor”, and “disabled” users. The reason, according to the documents? “The video will be much less attractive, not worthing to be recommended to new users.”
Almost half of teenage girls are unhappy with their bodies. Body dysmorphia and eating disorders in young people of all genders have been rising steadily in recent years. To think that TikTok is a standalone influence in this battle neglects to acknowledge the broader picture, so although I aim to shine the spotlight on TikTok, what is really concerning is society in general and what we are willing to trade for views, power, and money.
One small win for the TikTok community, however, is the reactionary movement of body positivity. A growing community of creators and viewers, including former D1 athlete Victoria Garrick and body positivity advocate Brittani Lancaster, directly confront TikTok’s embedded values by posting content that works against the current of the algorithm. This content ironically preaches self-acceptance and self-love in one of the most restrictive social media platforms to date, and seeks to break the social conditioning of “perfection” that TikTok cultivates.
You can read all of Rachel’s insightful article here, including her call to action.
Ideas for conversation starters:
We NOW have a way for people to host online events during this time.
Click here if you are interested in hosting an ONLINE screening for your community.
Click here if you want to attend an ONLINE screening.
Subscribe to our podcast.
Here is a video from the Screenagers YouTube Channel that talks more about this subject
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
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I recently did an informal survey of teen girls about what things are on the top of their minds when it comes to screen time issues. Sure enough, that age-old body image issue still ranks high. Of course, summer plays into this right now too, with all the bikini shots (but frankly, those shots get posted all year long).
Most all youth, regardless of gender, confront varying degrees of body-related self-consciousness and dissatisfaction. Unfortunately for some, this can become what I call “the curse of body image concerns” because the thoughts can be so painfully unrelenting.
Today I am sharing an excerpt from an eye-opening article that Rachel Kisela, a wonderful University of Washington student, wrote about how social media messes with our kids' minds about their own sense of attractiveness. Rachel is a deep and savvy thinker who worked with me during the production of Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER.
TikTok: An Algorithmic Perpetuation of “Perfection”
I wouldn’t hesitate to label myself an Internet enthusiast. I’m interested in online content and the sociological interactions that are mediated by the Internet. Coincidentally, TikTok is a gold mine for the sociologically curious. Despite significant security concerns, it is one of the fastest-growing mobile applications in the world.
My intention is not to rehash the impressionability of its young user base, or its marketability — Gen Z is a gold mine for advertisers. What I want to discuss instead is not necessarily just the online world, but what we may pull into the offline world and into our heads. Improbable body and appearance expectations have always been unsolicitedly pushed into the forefront of a lot of young women’s minds, but with TikTok, it’s nearly impossible to look away. The entire empire of social media is built around looks. FaceTune, one of the most popular apps in the Apple App Store worldwide, speedily developed the normalization of body distortion on social media. While ads are legally required to be disclosed on Instagram posts in order to prevent deception, the use of FaceTune and filters to remove blemishes, smooth pores, and contort bodies is nearly ubiquitous among Instagram influencers. However, TikTok plays a unique role in the development of body image because it fundamentally relies on both autonomous and active curation. TikTok’s user interface is insidiously easy to use, endlessly rolling out hundreds of 15-to-60 second videos in one sitting.
When you first open the app, without so much as a questionnaire or “sign up” link, TikTok immediately begins showing you content. Over the following days, it learns what you’ll watch and engage with and tailor its algorithm toward you. What you watch and engage with isn’t necessarily what makes you feel good about yourself, and it might not even be the type of content that you set out to watch on TikTok. In practice, the search feature barely functions, as each video contains so little text metadata that it’s difficult for the search engine to crawl through. This differs from platforms that actively work to populate content with searchable metadata, like YouTube or Instagram. Another unique and pointed design choice made by TikTok in order to maximize the algorithm usage is to make the “For You” page the default landing page for the app. TikTok unabashedly funnels your eyes towards the algorithm, autonomously curating what you consume to keep you engaged as long as possible.
Body Image
Here’s where it gets tricky. Most platforms, like YouTube and Twitter, are primarily self-moderated. There are predominantly successful efforts on the behalf of the company to remove illegal content, but legal grey areas such as hate speech are left up to the users to decide whether or not it’s harmful enough to report. The Internet recently saw one of YouTube’s biggest influencers, Jenna Marbles, cancel herself and recall manually deleting old videos of hers throughout the years in a clear display of self-preservation through self-moderation. Often, the task of moderating YouTube for unsavory content falls onto the shoulders of the creators instead of the company itself. However, TikTok operates on a much higher level of moderation, so much so that it creates a full-on censored environment. Let’s take a look at an example from one of my favorite body-positive TikTok creators, Mik Zazon.
TikTok censored a post that has the hashtag “acne”, and allowed an identical one to go through that did not contain the hashtag. For an algorithmically-driven application, this speaks to the values of the platform. According to leaked Chinese documents acquired by The Intercept in March, TikTok actively promotes the posts of “beautiful” users and demotes the posts of “ugly”, “poor”, and “disabled” users. The reason, according to the documents? “The video will be much less attractive, not worthing to be recommended to new users.”
Almost half of teenage girls are unhappy with their bodies. Body dysmorphia and eating disorders in young people of all genders have been rising steadily in recent years. To think that TikTok is a standalone influence in this battle neglects to acknowledge the broader picture, so although I aim to shine the spotlight on TikTok, what is really concerning is society in general and what we are willing to trade for views, power, and money.
One small win for the TikTok community, however, is the reactionary movement of body positivity. A growing community of creators and viewers, including former D1 athlete Victoria Garrick and body positivity advocate Brittani Lancaster, directly confront TikTok’s embedded values by posting content that works against the current of the algorithm. This content ironically preaches self-acceptance and self-love in one of the most restrictive social media platforms to date, and seeks to break the social conditioning of “perfection” that TikTok cultivates.
You can read all of Rachel’s insightful article here, including her call to action.
Ideas for conversation starters:
We NOW have a way for people to host online events during this time.
Click here if you are interested in hosting an ONLINE screening for your community.
Click here if you want to attend an ONLINE screening.
Subscribe to our podcast.
Here is a video from the Screenagers YouTube Channel that talks more about this subject
Sign up here to receive the weekly Tech Talk Tuesdays newsletter from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD.
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I recently did an informal survey of teen girls about what things are on the top of their minds when it comes to screen time issues. Sure enough, that age-old body image issue still ranks high. Of course, summer plays into this right now too, with all the bikini shots (but frankly, those shots get posted all year long).
Most all youth, regardless of gender, confront varying degrees of body-related self-consciousness and dissatisfaction. Unfortunately for some, this can become what I call “the curse of body image concerns” because the thoughts can be so painfully unrelenting.
Today I am sharing an excerpt from an eye-opening article that Rachel Kisela, a wonderful University of Washington student, wrote about how social media messes with our kids' minds about their own sense of attractiveness. Rachel is a deep and savvy thinker who worked with me during the production of Screenagers NEXT CHAPTER.
TikTok: An Algorithmic Perpetuation of “Perfection”
I wouldn’t hesitate to label myself an Internet enthusiast. I’m interested in online content and the sociological interactions that are mediated by the Internet. Coincidentally, TikTok is a gold mine for the sociologically curious. Despite significant security concerns, it is one of the fastest-growing mobile applications in the world.
My intention is not to rehash the impressionability of its young user base, or its marketability — Gen Z is a gold mine for advertisers. What I want to discuss instead is not necessarily just the online world, but what we may pull into the offline world and into our heads. Improbable body and appearance expectations have always been unsolicitedly pushed into the forefront of a lot of young women’s minds, but with TikTok, it’s nearly impossible to look away. The entire empire of social media is built around looks. FaceTune, one of the most popular apps in the Apple App Store worldwide, speedily developed the normalization of body distortion on social media. While ads are legally required to be disclosed on Instagram posts in order to prevent deception, the use of FaceTune and filters to remove blemishes, smooth pores, and contort bodies is nearly ubiquitous among Instagram influencers. However, TikTok plays a unique role in the development of body image because it fundamentally relies on both autonomous and active curation. TikTok’s user interface is insidiously easy to use, endlessly rolling out hundreds of 15-to-60 second videos in one sitting.
When you first open the app, without so much as a questionnaire or “sign up” link, TikTok immediately begins showing you content. Over the following days, it learns what you’ll watch and engage with and tailor its algorithm toward you. What you watch and engage with isn’t necessarily what makes you feel good about yourself, and it might not even be the type of content that you set out to watch on TikTok. In practice, the search feature barely functions, as each video contains so little text metadata that it’s difficult for the search engine to crawl through. This differs from platforms that actively work to populate content with searchable metadata, like YouTube or Instagram. Another unique and pointed design choice made by TikTok in order to maximize the algorithm usage is to make the “For You” page the default landing page for the app. TikTok unabashedly funnels your eyes towards the algorithm, autonomously curating what you consume to keep you engaged as long as possible.
Body Image
Here’s where it gets tricky. Most platforms, like YouTube and Twitter, are primarily self-moderated. There are predominantly successful efforts on the behalf of the company to remove illegal content, but legal grey areas such as hate speech are left up to the users to decide whether or not it’s harmful enough to report. The Internet recently saw one of YouTube’s biggest influencers, Jenna Marbles, cancel herself and recall manually deleting old videos of hers throughout the years in a clear display of self-preservation through self-moderation. Often, the task of moderating YouTube for unsavory content falls onto the shoulders of the creators instead of the company itself. However, TikTok operates on a much higher level of moderation, so much so that it creates a full-on censored environment. Let’s take a look at an example from one of my favorite body-positive TikTok creators, Mik Zazon.
TikTok censored a post that has the hashtag “acne”, and allowed an identical one to go through that did not contain the hashtag. For an algorithmically-driven application, this speaks to the values of the platform. According to leaked Chinese documents acquired by The Intercept in March, TikTok actively promotes the posts of “beautiful” users and demotes the posts of “ugly”, “poor”, and “disabled” users. The reason, according to the documents? “The video will be much less attractive, not worthing to be recommended to new users.”
Almost half of teenage girls are unhappy with their bodies. Body dysmorphia and eating disorders in young people of all genders have been rising steadily in recent years. To think that TikTok is a standalone influence in this battle neglects to acknowledge the broader picture, so although I aim to shine the spotlight on TikTok, what is really concerning is society in general and what we are willing to trade for views, power, and money.
One small win for the TikTok community, however, is the reactionary movement of body positivity. A growing community of creators and viewers, including former D1 athlete Victoria Garrick and body positivity advocate Brittani Lancaster, directly confront TikTok’s embedded values by posting content that works against the current of the algorithm. This content ironically preaches self-acceptance and self-love in one of the most restrictive social media platforms to date, and seeks to break the social conditioning of “perfection” that TikTok cultivates.
You can read all of Rachel’s insightful article here, including her call to action.
Ideas for conversation starters:
We NOW have a way for people to host online events during this time.
Click here if you are interested in hosting an ONLINE screening for your community.
Click here if you want to attend an ONLINE screening.
Subscribe to our podcast.
Here is a video from the Screenagers YouTube Channel that talks more about this subject
Many adults keep their phones by the bed — it feels harmless, even necessary. But what if that habit is quietly affecting our sleep and the example we set for our kids? In this week’s blog, Dr. Ruston shares two key things every parent should know about sleeping next to a phone, and how small nighttime tech changes can make a big difference for the whole family.
READ MORE >
From Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto to violence and gunfire in movies and shows, aggression is a constant backdrop in boys’ media diets. And with various influencers and online personalities framing success through the lens of strength, competition, dominance and winning, boys are being handed a narrow script for masculinity. As parents, one of the most important things we can do is offer a counterweight. We can help boys strengthen empathy, compassion, and respect as core traits of masculinity, so they have a broader, healthier vision of who they can become.
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Last week we introduced you to our Screen-Free Sleep campaign! Since then, we’ve been flooded with emails and calls, and most are asking the same question: How can we get this spreading in our school? Today’s blog has the answers.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
