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How Too Much Social Media Can Affect Your Teen’s Behavior
A new study shows that extensive social media use may increase teenagers’ risk of mental health problems.
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Is Your Teen Using Social Media Too Much?
At the dinner table. Watching TV. While out with friends. Teenagers are constantly using social media, and that might not be good for their mental health.
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The “thigh gap:” A skinny rule reigning social media sites frequented by teenage girls
The thigh gap. Have you heard of it? No? Perhaps your teenage daughter has. This “rule” for skinny is permeating social media sites: tumblr, facebook, instagram, to name a few. Even though this seems like a relatively new trend, women have been using their thighs as a way to measure their body image for years. I know, because a particular Oprah show is forever engrained into my mind. A few years back, as I was watching this show, I recall a vivid image of Oprah, standing with her feet touching, looking at the space between her legs and proclaiming that “skinny” women strive to have at least two gaps showing (a gap between the ankles and a gap just below the knees), and if they are lucky, three – the gap between the thighs. I’m even embarrassed to say that I catch myself every now and then looking at my thighs to see if I have “the gap.”
What exactly is the thigh gap?
The thigh gap is a one to two inch gap between the thighs when the feet are touching together. However, this “gap” is almost impossible to attain, and the process of obtaining a thigh gap is risky, oftentimes sparking unhealthy fitness and eating behaviors. This trend has also raised concerns among eating disorder experts, as they recognize that in order to obtain a thigh gap, one would most likely take on some form of disordered eating. -
How to Keep Your Children Safe in the World of Social Media
Written by Kenny Tello, Mental Health Therapist at The Howard Phillips Center for Children & Families
