UK Education Secretary Asks Celebrities to Take Fewer Selfies

On Stop Cyberbullying Day, UK Education Secretary Damian Hinds [DEYM-yuhn HAHYNDZ] appealed to celebrities to use social media responsibly. The secretary particularly asked celebrities to take fewer selfies, as these photos affect the body image of young people. He also called on celebrities to be honest about how their selfies have been edited. According to Hinds, selfies pressure the youth to have a perfect body and even make eating disorders seem natural. Hinds explained that young people tend to have a warped idea of what is normal because of the unrealistic photos they see online. Hinds added that teenagers may also develop depression or be subject to online abuse because of unrealistic standards set by celebrity selfies. Prior to Hind’s speech, the Mental Health Foundation reported that 40% of teenagers are insecure about their bodies because of their friends’ comments. Moreover, a separate organization found that England has the worst case of online bullying in the world. These reports are alarming because young people tend to spend so much of their time online. In the same speech, Hinds also urged social media companies and online streaming sites to responsibly monitor their content. He specifically called out sites such as Instagram and Snapchat because these give celebrities the perfect platform to post selfies. Still in line with his advocacy, Hinds also posted on his social media account a plea to celebrities to make their posts less about their image. He asked them to use their platforms to educate young followers about travel and the beauty of nature instead of just posting selfies.