‘It hurts’: Social media overdose crippling young Tasmanians mental health
TikTok and Instagram is fuelling a mental health crisis as more young Tasmanians fall victim to sinister algorithms filled with misinformation and cyber-bullying. Our top influencers speak out >>
Tasmania
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As hundreds and thousands of Tasmanians resort to social media to escape reality, apps such as Instagram and TikTok have ended up warping real life for a number of young locals.
Beyond the funny dance skits and trends, influencers and experts say young Tasmanians are being exposed to a darker side of the platforms that are in turn, affecting their mental health.
From diet advice, ‘what I eat in a day’ reels and comments from anonymous trolls, some individualised algorithms have become a breeding ground for misinformation and cyber-bullying.
“As someone who already has anxiety and depression, it can be really difficult not to compare yourself to what you see online and find your own life wanting,” said influencer Katie Parrott.
The Hobart woman — who works as a policy officer by day — creates “meaningful” conversation around diverse body types on Instagram, often sharing outfit and fashion snaps to her following of over 33,000 people.
The 27-year-old has faced mental health struggles and eating disorders in the past, and says young Tasmanians need to be aware of the negative impacts apps can have on their wellbeing.
“Particularly related to body image, social media can be really detrimental to people in Eating Disorder recovery, and sets unrealistic expectations on food/eating, exercise, and what is “normal”,” Ms Parrott told the Mercury.
“As an activist on social media, and a happy fat person, I have become the target of trolls and hate comments many times over the years. While I try to have a thick skin, of course it hurts your feelings and definitely has contributed to my anxiety in the past.”
Over the course of the pandemic, calls to eating disorder support service Butterfly Foundation skyrocketed as young locals clocked more and more screen time.
“In the past 18 months I have had over 230 Tasmanians seeking support for themselves and over 150 carers seeking help for a loved one,” said the Tasmania branch’s co-ordinator Georgina Taskunas.
The accredited and practising dietitian said although the foundation is doing everything they can to help locals suffering, health professionals are being inundated and Tasmanians are in dire need of more support services.
“It is a fact, not just my personal opinion, that there are not enough services to support those Tasmanians suffering an eating disorder.,” Ms Taskunas said.
“There is currently a four week wait in some areas for people to get into see their general practitioner, not to mention at least a six month wait for psychological support.”
“The bottom line is we need more qualified professionals in Tasmania.”
The foundation said they are ‘actively having conversations’ with social media platforms to combat triggering content, with Instagram and TikTok recently banning pro-eating disorder hashtags.
“Both TikTok and Instagram have made important moves within their respective apps to ensure that when someone is searching for a hashtag related to eating disorders, they are prompted to access the Butterfly Foundation’s helpline or website where they can find help, support, and information about treatment options,” the organisation’s head of communication and engagement Melissa Wilton said.
As Instagram clocks over 9 million monthly users in Australia, TikTok is captivating the younger generation at an alarming rate, its users rising by over 52 per cent in the first half of 2020.
An external estimate conducted by market researcherRoy Morgan suggests as of October 2020 at least 2.5 million Australians regularly use TikTok with 70 per cent of its users belonging to Gen Z (born 1991-2005) and Gen Alpha (born from 2006).
Zane Connor is one young Tasmanian that has taken over TikTok with his comedic skits and choreographed dances, attracting a following of more than 108k.
The 21-year-old verified user said despite receiving negative feedback from time to time, he tries to focus on the positives and uses the app as a way to express himself.
“As an influencer I love bringing an uplifting spirit to social media, I really enjoy promoting self love and confidence all around,” Mr Connor said.
“I like to navigate my feedback by only looking into the positives and avoiding taking any negatives personally. I feel that people who exhibit negative feedback are just reflecting on their own personal insecurities.
“Everyone deserves a safe environment to be themselves.”
TRIBUTES FLOW FOR TASMANIAN TIK TOK STAR >>
Following a sharp rise in suicides CEO of Tasmania’s Rural Alive, Barb Walters, told the Mercury it’s now more important than ever for young people to get out in their community and make meaningful connections not just via social media, but face-to-face.
“As connections have reduced in the last 18 months due to Covid, we’re losing those things that we take for granted and are becoming more and more isolated as things turn to online,” Ms Walters said.
“For young people, they may be missing out on those meaningful relationships and real connections and its really easy for them to get swept up in a world on social media and get blurred lines between reality.”
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