Instagram can cause poor self-esteem in teens, and with the advent of generative AI, this problem may increase. It's never been easier to create endless photos of (non-existent) women with perfect measurements and flawless skin.
With searches like “AI influencer” or “AI model,” you can quickly find countless images of women that don't exist. They often strike difficult poses to show off their body curves. Sometimes the photos are clearly fake, but often it's not possible to see if the person is there or coming from the computer.
It's no secret that the majority of people share the cutest pictures of themselves on social media. They also often use filters to remove blemishes. So Instagram is full of people who look perfect and have seemingly perfect lives. This affects young people.
Nearly half of teenage girls believe social media has a negative impact on the way they think about themselves, according to research conducted by the University of Amsterdam last year. Instagram's internal investigations also show this. Young female users who feel insecure about their bodies are made more insecure by photos on Instagram.
With artificial intelligence, it has become much easier to take photos of women who fit a certain beauty ideal. Ask AI art generator Midjourney for a “realistic portrait of a sexy influencer” and within a minute you can choose from four thin, non-existent women with plunging necklines.
Insecure youth become more insecure
“Most AI models and influencers have become impossibly realistic in recent years,” says Patti Falkenberg, professor of media, youth and society at the University of Amsterdam. “AI-generated fashion models can contribute to a negative self-image in vulnerable young people. These are mainly young people who have a tendency to compare themselves with others. And whose self-image is quickly and strongly affected by what they encounter in their daily lives.”
If you're not sure, just start comparing, says Justine Bardoin of the Office of Youth and Media. According to her, children and teenagers tend to look critically at themselves and compare their appearance with others. Not only do they look around, they also look at social media. “If the mother focuses too much on her body, the baby will take over,” she says. “Images in the media also have a reinforcing effect. The emergence of increasingly realistic AI images only exacerbates the situation.”
At an early age, around age seven or eight, children become more aware of their bodies in relation to others, according to Bardwin. So she wants to encourage parents to talk about the human body from that moment on. “Also take your social media image seriously,” she says. “Explain that much of what you see is photoshopped, and that some influencers don't actually exist.”
Children often do not know this and are shocked when they discover that not everything they see is true. “They try to understand life based on what they see in the real world,” Bardoin says. “They don't realize that there is a parallel world online that is completely artificial. In the media, you rarely see average bodies, so you have to go to a nudist beach or a nudist camp site.”
Even a fake thing can affect us
But because of all the elaborate photos, Photoshop and filters, young people have become accustomed to this beauty ideal, Falkenberg says. “Such complex images can damage the mental health of vulnerable young people.”
It doesn't even matter if the person depicted actually exists. “We attribute human qualities to artificial intelligence applications such as robots and virtual models,” says the professor. “They can arouse strong feelings such as admiration, jealousy and pity.”
She compares this to the way we watch movies and read books. “But with movies you realize more quickly that what you're seeing isn't real. Even if we know what we're seeing isn't real, we can still be deeply affected by it.”
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, recently promised that AI photos will soon be labeled this way by the user. Then it should be clear to everyone whether the person in the photo actually exists or not. “The question is whether it will help,” Bardoin says. “It definitely helps teachers explain this to kids and start a conversation about fake images. And ask the question: What does it do to you when you look at so-called perfect people?”
