TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Child Welfare League Foundation (兒福聯盟) released a survey on Wednesday (July 3) revealing increasing appearance anxiety among Taiwanese youth in the social media era. The survey found that over 71.1% of children and adolescents are dissatisfied with their body image, with 8.3% expressing complete dissatisfaction with their appearance.
The study highlighted that 58% of the youth had taken steps to change their appearance due to this anxiety. These actions include paying attention to fashion, skincare, weight loss, hair dyeing, and makeup. Peer influence plays a significant role, with 60.7% of respondents wanting to change their looks because of classmates or friends.
Social media also exerts considerable influence, as 25% of the youth are swayed by online articles or videos and 19% by influencers or bloggers. The survey revealed that 30.5% of children use filters to look better, 19.2% edit facial blemishes, and 14.1% refrain from uploading photos if they don't look good. Overall, 45.2% have edited photos or videos or avoided sharing them due to appearance anxiety.
Also, 38.4% of the youth believe that photos should look good even if they are edited and not valid to reality, which distorts their self-perception and consumes significant time and energy. The survey also found that 38.8% of children feel fat, awkward, or inferior after seeing attractive images online. In comparison, 57.8% think they should gain or lose weight to achieve their ideal appearance, with 12.2% actively dieting or losing weight.
The Child Welfare League Foundation emphasized that appearance anxiety has become a critical issue brought about by social media. They urged society to address this problem and help youth develop a healthy self-identity and values.