How Social Media Affects Gen Z’s Confidence

Social media is an integral part of many people’s lives, but can it put pressure on the way individuals present themselves to the world?

A new Forbes Health and Talker Research survey of 2,000 U.S.-based social media users reveals that it can, with 45% of respondents saying social media harms their confidence in their smile, particularly among Gen Z.

Key findings from the survey include:

• 53% of people compare their smiles to others on social media, and this figure is significantly higher among Gen Z (72%)
• 45% said that social media harms their confidence in their smile, with women feeling this confidence loss more than men, 53% to 35%, respectively
• Over half of those polled (56%) try to hide their smile in a variety of situations, with 34% hiding their teeth in photos
• 15% of people have edited the appearance of their teeth in a photo before posting it to social media

Fifty-three percent of survey respondents said they compare their smiles to others on social media, but this figure differs greatly when broken down by generation, with Gen Z coming in at 72% and millennials at 66%. The numbers fall for Gen X (48%) and baby boomers (36%).

This vast difference in survey responses between older and younger generations may be attributed to the fact that younger people simply spend far more time on image-focused social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok. 

In fact, according to recent data from the Pew Research Center, adults ages 18 to 29 (the age range of the oldest members of Gen Z) are about 20% more likely to use Instagram than millennials and about twice as likely as millennials to use Snapchat and TikTok.

Meanwhile, older generations are far less likely to use image-centric social media platforms, with only about 35% of people ages 50 to 64 and 15% of people older than 65 using Instagram, with the numbers plummeting to 13% and 4% for Snapchat, respectively.

Originally published by Talker News