A new learning module is set to be launched in New Zealand's secondary schools next year in a bid to combat unethical retouching on social media, a harmful online phenomenon fuelling body dysmorphia and mental illness, particularly among young people.
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week, Netsafe has announced a new partnership with the New Zealand-founded movement Bodyright.me to raise awareness about the harmful effects associated with misrepresenting the human body online.
Recognised as a Fast Company global innovation, Bodyright.me is an international movement to end unethical retouching, filters and the misrepresentation of the human body. Brands, influencers and individuals can join the movement by using the Bodyright.me symbol - essentially a copyright logo with a 'B' instead of a 'C' - to indicate the image is their own and it is unfiltered and untouched. New Zealand weightlifter David Liti and body image advocate Jess Quinn are among its ambassadors, while supporters of the initiative include Hilary Barry, model Julia Stringer and influencer Joanna Kenny.
Under the partnership, Netsafe and Bodyright.me will introduce a new Learning Management System module and initiative called #beyourselfie to secondary schools in early 2023, in hopes of promoting body positivity and mental wellbeing while combating unethical retouching.
New data indicates that 33 percent of New Zealand teenagers are spending four or more hours online in an average day, with four in 10 currently using five or more social media platforms. While social media is an effective way to connect with others, have fun and share information, it can also be harmful to its users' mental wellbeing, with a recent study finding that teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media are more likely to develop depression, anxiety, aggression and antisocial behaviour.
"We're seeing an increase in people battling self-esteem issues with unrelenting exposure to these altered social media images linked to mental health issues, eating disorders and body dysmorphia," Bodyright.me spokesperson and psychologist Sara Chatwin said in a statement.
"Young people don't go a day without being exposed to this kind of stuff and are heavily influenced by it. They have access to filtered images from an early age, and their perceptions are shaped by the material they see.
"Sharing retouched, filtered images of yourself doesn't help your mental health, but normalising real bodies and celebrating yourself as you truly are does. Bodyright.me is a movement to end unethical re-touching and help people reclaim their bodies as they truly are."
The use of filters and editing online is prolific, with 90 percent of young women admitting they use a filter, edit or retouch their photos before sharing them to social media. Thirty-two percent of teenage girls have also reported that when they felt negatively about their bodies, Instagram made them feel even worse.
"We're focused on finding ways to support safe and positive online experiences that support mental health and partnering with Bodyright.me to spread an educational message about body positivity online and in secondary schools with #beyourselfie is a great way to do this," said Brent Carey, Netsafe's CEO.
"Our research shows that digital parenting tends to become less prevalent as children become older; 75 percent of nine-to-11-year-olds aren't allowed to visit social networking sites compared to 34 percent of those aged 12 to 14, and just 4 percent of 15-to-17-year-olds. Ideally, parents of older children should remain involved in their kids' engagement with an increasingly filtered and artificial digital environment as they navigate a series of challenging developmental changes like identity formation."
This year's theme for Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from September 26 to October 2, is 'Reconnect - with the people and places that lift you up' - He Pikinga Waiora. To celebrate the theme, Netsafe and Bodyright.me are encouraging Kiwis to ditch the editing apps and share unfiltered images of themselves to social media or with friends and whānau using the hashtag #beyourselfie.
The Netsafe and bodyright.me Secondary Schools #beyourselfie Learning Module will roll out across schools nationwide from February 2023 onwards.
