The first scroll is a protein shake guaranteed to put you in shape just in time for summer. Goodbye fat rolls, hello abs. The second scroll is a teenager's day in the life, where somehow she managed to get all of her work done, a workout, and her nails manicured, all with extra time to tutor people at school and serve her community. She made the impossible possible. Once I get to the third scroll, I’m addicted to hyperanalyzing how perfect the dancer looks and the way her body moves effortlessly.

Every scroll, I’m looking at how their life looks, and comparing it to my life, which feels less than. The more I watch, the more my social media algorithm tailors these types of videos, and that's the same for millions of young females. The algorithm on TikTok and Instagram fosters a web of constant comparison and self-deprecation, thriving on the insecurities of young girls. Therefore, there is a rise in social media influencers and Day in My Life (DIML) videos, which are content purposefully created to showcase a person's “perfect” life.

It’s hard for young girls not to compare themselves to the models they see on their screens. The screen time that once started at an hour a day rises to three in the blink of an eye. The American Psychological Association discovered that teenagers “who reduced their social media use by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant improvement in how they felt about both their weight and their overall appearance.” It’s challenging to put your phone down at a time when social media is the main tool for connecting with your friends. Limiting exposure to social media will improve one's attitude towards themselves and their body because they won’t be devoting hours a day to hyperfixating on others. Making small changes to social media intake will allow one to focus on things that matter most, such as friends, family, and passions.

It should be noted that social media can be a powerful tool for advocating body positivity and feminism. Influential campaigns used social media to gain recognition, such as the #MeToo movement. Famous feminists such as Malala Yousafzai use their influential voices to spread women's rights across various platforms.

While all of this is beneficial, everyone's algorithm is tailored to their daily watching habits. For young girls, it’s easy to get hooked into DIMLs that are seemingly positive but, in actuality, have the opposite effect, causing them to compare their lives to the perfect stranger's life depicted in a 20-second clip. I have filmed countless DIMLs for my friends. I edit clips that aren’t aesthetically appealing because I want people to be engaged with my content, even if it’s an altered representation of my day.

Addictive scrolling is a deliberate mechanism by social media companies to hook people, commonly young girls, into their apps so they make a profit and increase their app's viewership. When it’s time for bed, and you’ve finished your skincare routine that Hailey Bieber helped curate for you on TikTok, and finally put your phone down, “you're still craving and worrying about it” (Dartmouth Health). I fall victim to doom scrolling multiple times a day, and the next thing I know is that it’s 10 pm and I still have that history paper due, but it was just so hard to turn away from the Alix Earle and Alex Cooper drama filling my for you page. You’re worrying about what your friend posted. Did anyone comment on the TikTok that took you five tries to be perfect? Did you look good? Did your body look perfect? It’s a draining cycle that many teenage girls undergo, and that permanently alters their perception of what they should look like.

Social media fosters a community, sometimes being uplifting, but primarily of constant criticism of people. For a teenage girl, getting social media for the first time is equivalent to entering a different planet, one that is difficult to adjust to, takes a lot of time, and requires a lot of energy. Social media should be enjoyable, not something that constantly brings harm to the physical and mental health of growing adolescents in today's society.

The next time you pick up your phone to scroll, try to stop yourself, see how long you can resist checking your social media accounts. Instead of scrolling through Instagram photos on that one girl's account who has mastered the art of having a perfect feed, try to do something new, whether that be a new hobby, a walk outside, or trying a new recipe. Corporate social media companies thrive off girls comparing themselves, and you must do whatever it takes to ground your feet where you are, and not your eyes on a fixated TikTok.

This Article was edited by Head Editor Yusuf Eltom