Content warning: contains reference to eating disorders and restriction.

More than half of the world now uses social media, and as our global usage increases and 87% of 12-15 year olds have an account, concerns continue to be raised about how we can stay safe online, and the role social media companies play in that.

Currently, the government has proposed the Online Safety bill, which would see extra measures implemented to force social media companies to stamp out the most harmful illegal content and criminal activity on their sites quicker.

BBC Three’s eye-opening documentary The Instagram Effect, which aired last night, explored how the app affects its users and the role big tech companies play in exacerbating issues around body image and self-harm for younger users.

“In just ten years, Instagram has gained over a billion users worldwide, shaping culture, trends and the way we live our lives. But its impact on society is increasingly being questioned as governments step up efforts to regulate social media networks,” explains the synopsis.

Testimonies from Instagram users, as well as former Instagram and Facebook insiders, including whistleblower Frances Haugen, confirmed what we already know: that Instagram is a place where we’re encouraged to post our best selves, and that can turn dangerous.

In a culture where follower counts are social currency, it’s becoming harder and harder to avoid being lured into comparison.

In an interview for the film, influencer Lauren Black shared how she “wasn’t mentally prepared” when her Instagram account grew from 30,000 to 100,000 followers in a short space of time.

Speaking about the anxiety she felt to please hundreds of thousands not just with her fashion content, but her own appearance, she said: “I was on Instagram all the time. My screen time was like 13 hours a day, it was ridiculous.

“I thought if I changed myself, then I would gain more followers and get all these new opportunities.”

The documentary also met Chenade, an influencer who says she was prompted to have Brazilian butt lift surgery, one of the most dangerous cosmetic surgeries in the world, and promote it to her Instagram followers after “falling into the hype” of advertising. However, she said she later regretted the decision and wanted to raise awareness of the danger of ‘advertising’ on the app.

Black says that she didn’t realise the impact the constant comparison was having on her mental health, which led to her developing an eating disorder which steadily worsened.

“I wish someone would have been like ‘something is wrong here,’” Black added, saying that her experience has changed the way she uses the app and led her to create more “uplifting” content.

In 2021, reports circulated that Facebook has repeatedly found that its photo-sharing app is harmful to a significant percentage of teenagers, with teenage girls being most notably harmed.

“Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,” the researchers reportedly wrote.

“Teenagers are killing themselves because of Instagram,” whistleblower Frances Haugen shares in the documentary.

Explaining how the app differs from other platforms, Haugen explains: “TikTok is all about performing and fun. Snapchat is about filters and face augmentation. Facebook’s internal research says Instagram is about bodies and social comparison. It’s about seeing these little windows into other people’s lives, and comparing what your life is like to theirs.”

“It is the structure of Instagram that creates these problems of comparison,” says one ex-staff member. “So unless you change that, it won’t change.”

The documentary goes on to suggest that social media algorithms are what enable and even promote this kind of “rabbit hole” thinking.

“It’s always looking at what you’re most vulnerable to,” says Haugen.

According to a former Instagram staff member, even a search as simple as “healthy eating” can lead to a rabbit hole that “normalises the idea that you should be thin, and that it’s your fault if you’re not.”

But despite the awareness around the restrictive behaviours and unrealistic body standards promoted by Instagram, the documentary explains that not enough is being done about it. Because problematic and reported content is managed by artificial intelligence, it often lacks the nuance to detect all harmful content.

A spokesperson for Instagram told filmmakers that it spent “approximately 5 billion dollars on safety and security last year alone” and that it continues to be their “top priority”.

However, as the documentary concludes, more transparency is needed, as well as greater conversations with the public and regulators. “Facebook and Instagram have a responsibility to do better and understand the impacts they’re having on the world.”

The Instagram Effect is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

For information and help on eating disorders, visit eating disorder charity Beat.

Images: BBC/Getty