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Am I ugly? The rising trend among children and teens that could open a whole new frontier
of mental health issues and online bullying. I’m Kimberly Walleston, with a spotlight
focus for Insider’s Health News.
By now I’m sure you’ve seen or heard about it. If not, there are young girls – and
occasionally boys – that are posting online videos of themselves asking: “am I ugly?”
for Youtube audiences. Now, with millions of views and thousands of comments, our youngest
generation is opening themselves up to new types of online bullying and issues with depression.
It started with one video. A young student that had been teased at school wanted a different
perspective on her attractiveness. The girl, not even a teenager, stared awkwardly into
the camera and asked if people thought she was ugly. Soon there were message boards,
video responses, and even national headlines about the webcam diary post… but medical
professionals are beginning to wonder what exactly this could mean for an already fragile
age group.
Social media is distorting the way that our children go through their adolescence. A time
that is often rife with uncoordinated bodies, uncomfortable feelings, and hormones that
can make everything seem overwhelming, is now being broadcast around the world. It is
common for a tween to feel like an outsider; but with so many tools at their disposal,
it’s becoming increasingly challenging to make sure they don’t set themselves up for
even more disappointment. Case in point, some comments on the “Am I ugly?” video go
as far as suggesting suicide and throwing around words like “***” and “gremlin.”
It’s obvious that these videos are only broadening the reach to which a child can
be bullied. And that is only going to cause more problems for a demographic that is already
at a high risk for depression.
and girls can be downright ruthless if given the opportunity; so opening yourself up to
the world can quickly make things darker. With studies showing 59 percent of middle
school girls being dissatisfied with their physical appearance, it’s important that
we teach our kids to be proud of themselves and not look for their value in the opinions
of others.
Because when that opinion is coming from “FreakspeakBoobz,” you’re probably not going to get a very
enlightened opinion.
That’s it for this edition of Insider’s Health TV. I’m your host, Kimberly Walleston.
And remember: it’s your health. We’re just helping you think outside the box.