Tips on how you can detox your social media feeds
Study from The Female Lead suggests women and girls should #DisruptYourFeed to improve how you feel about your own life
Women and girls are being urged to follow more "positive role models" on social media to improve the way they feel about their own lives.
A five year study from campaign group The Female Lead found women had better experiences on their phones if they followed aspirational, diverse and "real" people, rather than "fake reality stars and airbrushed celebrities".
Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Harry Potter actor Emma Watson were amongst those whose accounts which had a positive impact on participants.
The data suggests teens felt better about themselves and set higher personal and career goals if they made smarter selections about who they followed online.
Teens urged to #DisruptYourFeed
As part of the campaign, teenage girls are now being urged to take a #DisruptYourFeed pledge to improve their experiences online:
- Scroll with purpose - avoid "passive" or "doom" scrolling for no reason
- Challenge the algorithm - don't fall foul of social feeds clogging up with the same sort of content it thinks you want to see
- Take the lead in your own feed - use social media on your own terms
LISTEN: Find out more about the #DisruptYourFeed study with Psychologist and Author Dr Terri Apter on this week's Mental Health Monday Podcast
Survey finds worrying results
The Female Lead study spoke to 76,000 women about their experiences online.
It found:
- 78% of people believe social media has negatively affected the way they view their bodies
- 75% worry social media has a negative impact on their mental health
- 59% believe their life would be better if social media didn't exist
Body confidence campaigner Megan Crabbe told us: "I believe in disrupting your feed and doing it often - whenever scrolling starts leading you to comparison, negative self-talk or information overload, it's time to switch things up.
"We should all be taking regular breaks from social media, but we also have the power to change the way we feel while we are online. I try to curate my online space to be empowering, entertaining, and educational - and each of those in moderation!
"At its best, social media helps us feel connected and inspired, if it's making us feel any other type of way, then it's time to disrupt."
Edwina Dunn, Founder of The Female Lead said: “The problem is we know that social media can be bad for our health.
"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?
"We currently allow the platforms to manage our feeds and so we ‘get what we’re given’. Many of us consume a loop of airbrushed entertainment that makes us all feel ‘less’, constantly comparing ourselves with people and stories that are neither real nor uplifting.”
Find out more about The Female Lead's #DisruptYourFeed campaign