SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Instagram is making efforts to change the way social media affects people’s mental health by hiding the amount of “likes” a post gets.
An article posted by the National Center for Health Research says that a Pew Research Center study shows that 71% of 18-24 year olds use Instagram. They say that Instagram lets users “share their life through photos or videos with a wider audience” and also sources for news and gossip.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that “Facebook Depression” is a rising issue in today’s society from the usage of social media.
“Well-adjusted children tend to put their best foot forward, broadcasting only their best attributes,” authors Elina Mir and Caroline Novas explained. “For less well-adjusted children, constantly reading about the success of their “friends” can make them feel worse… The positive spin that kids put on Facebook ends up widening the disconnect between how less well-adjusted kids view others and how they view themselves.”
This is why Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri wants to change how people use social media.
“We’re going to put a 15-year-old’s interests before a public speaker’s interest,” Mosseri said recently at the WIRED25 Summit. “When we look at the world of public content, we’re going to put people in that world before organizations and corporations.”
While the hiding of likes has been going on in several other countries, such as Canada, Australia and Ireland, Mosseri will start implementing this change to some accounts in the United States as of this week.
