A new report produced by the Mental Health Foundation Scotland and the University of Strathclyde is focusing on building a more positive relationship between social media and body image.

The report, #Healthy Social Media, is the result of a conference organised by the Foundation and the University, which saw young people, teachers, social media influencers, charities and others come together to share personal experiences of using social media and the impact it has had on their body image.

A key aim of the conference was to learn from people’s experiences to produce strategies and possible solutions to help build a more positive relationship between social media use and body image.

Participants discussed how they present on and off-line, how this may differ with face-to-face communication and how they feel when on social media.

Dr Petya Eckler, Project Lead at University of Strathclyde, said:

“Social media can be fun, it can be supportive and empowering, it connects us with friends and keeps us informed. But it can also create negative and alienating experiences. And for many young people, it triggers self-doubt, insecurity, and poor body image.

“Our new report recognises this link and uses people’s first-hand experiences to build some key strategies for better social media experiences.”