Calls to change who you follow on social media after 75% say it negatively affects mental health
Research shows many women's self-esteem has been negatively affected
Last updated 7th Mar 2022
New research has found that over half of people across the world feel life would be better without social media and a new campaign has been launched to try and disrupt the content we're fed on our social media.
In a survey conducted by educational charity The Female Lead which interviewed 76,000 women around the world, 6 in 10 said that they believed their quality of life would improve if social media did not exist.
As part of their 'Disrupt Your Feed' research, the survey also found that 78% of people believed that social media negatively affected their self-esteem and body image.
Similarly, 75% of those surveyed also said that social media had negatively affected their mental health.
The Female Lead have launched their 'Disrupt your Feed' pledge to try and alter the kinds of content people are seeing.
They've curated a list of ‘Recommended Follows’ - people on social media who they say are a force for good.
As a result of their survey, The Female Lead is advocating for a healthier balance of life on and off our screens.
Speaking about the research, Founder of the charity, Edwina Dunn said that it was just as important to highlight the benefits of social media.
"The problem is we know that social media can be bad for our health. Maybe this is not a surprise. A lot has been said about how toxic social media is and that teens must be protected from the onslaught of social media platforms," she said.
"The voices and opinions of 76,000 women across the world today proves that these fears are not unfounded and have not subsided. Women (not just teens) really do fear and suffer from the negative impacts of social media use.
"And yet, we keep coming back for more. We remain hooked on this content. So why are we not also maximising the benefits that social media offers?"
In order to break the chain of potential for damaging mental health, The Female Lead is hoping to change the algorithms on social media.
On Monday (March 7th), the charity is launching a 'Disrupt Your Feed' initiative, to encourage those affected by social media to boost the potential for positive change on their feeds on platforms such as Instagram and Twitter.
Other famous female faces will also be joining forces with the charity, including American comedian Margaret Cho and British influencer Bodiposipanda.
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