‘I’ve deleted social media but I’m still scarred by the apps’

A woman who spent the year without using social media said her anxiety was reduced and her self-esteem was boosted.

But 20-year-old Marina Jennings said the impact of using social media at the 12-year-old is scarring and will stay with her forever.

After realising she had “completely consumed” her life, she decided to remove the social media app from her phone.

She “worried about how she always looked,” and the app caused “big anxiety” and influenced her ability to focus on daily tasks. Twelve months later, she said she felt lucky to have “find the root of the problem.”

Jennings said he first began using social media at the 12-year-old and saw a video about a girl who developed an eating disorder within days.

“At that age, you have a distracting thought,” she said.

“I was sent to total panic – a state of anxiety about developing an eating disorder.

“Fortunately, this lasted very short time, but it was definitely a scar and it would stay with me forever.”

She said her friend would be editing her body with photos from when she was about 14 years old.

All group photos had to be “approved” and her friends had deleted her photos without asking if they liked what they looked like.

“It was very self-centered. It was really disastrous to see everyone around me thinking about what they would look like, especially at such a young age,” she said.

She said she was attacked with unrealistic photos of what everyone would look like.

“It completely consumed my life,” she added.

Recently released A survey of children and young people in Jersey It shows:

• 63% of 6th grade students own smartphones
• 96% of 8th grade students own smartphones
• 100% of the 12 students own smartphones

Among other findings, the survey found that 51% of 12th grade girls received sexual videos and photos compared to 40% of boys in the same year group.

We also found that 37% of young people in 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade sent messages to strangers through online chat rooms, with a higher percentage of girls (36%) feeling pressured to appear to be visible in a certain way on social media.

The results of the survey have been published inside Extensive conversation About the impact of social media and toxic online materials after Netflix dramas’ adolescent hits.

Vicki O’Neill, who lives in Jersey for six years and has children, said her smartphone has made parenting “a lot more difficult.”

“Do you think you’re looking at an avalanche of information about smartphones, social media and concerns about what the heck is going to do?” she said.

“We are digging deep and deep into the protection of crisis in schools, protecting crisis as parents, and ultimately the entire island and public health crisis.

“If we’re all together as parents, schools, government, if we’re going to join dot and say, ‘We see how we’re linking, we need each other to make a difference.’

“The government absolutely needs to get up and change legislation and do it now.

“I can’t wait. It’s getting too serious.”

Ella, a student at Guernsey’s Sixth Form Centre, said social media is a big part of her socialization and “a really big part of everyday life.”

“It’s very important to get to know your peers through social media.

“However, social media use can be very negative in terms of peer groups.

“I think it would be great if we could reduce the amount of social media used, but it’s so popular now that it’s not possible,” she said.

Liam Doherty, a youth worker who helps mentor Guernsey youth, said children should spend more time outdoors.

“The solution for me is real human contact.

“It has to be a real life that is not mediated by social media or smartphones,” he said.

“Social media causes harm through young people. I think we need to do more. Families need to do more.

“We need to take it more seriously as a community.”

The Guernsey government was approached for comment.

Earlier this week, in response to the concerns of backbench politicians, Jersey’s education minister described online safety as “a real challenge for us as a society.”

Deputy Director Rob Ward said the government’s policies were being reviewed and “custom-made Jersey policy from a social media perspective.”

He added that it is likely inevitable that schools will become “a smartphone-free zone” in the future, but he confirmed that mobile phones are not already permitted in school classrooms in Jersey.

“Looking back through just a few years, what schools did reestablish that situation, they’re constantly moving forward, and I’m fully supporting the work they’re doing,” he said.

“The safest way to do this is for parents not to buy their children on their phones, they have parental control over them and work with the school.

“We are very aware that free access to the global web is a dangerous place if not controlled, and I urge all parents to take parental control seriously.”