According to a new study, around 9 per cent of adolescents – especially girls – have used non-prescribed diet pills, laxatives, and diuretics in their lifetime. As remarked by one of the authors, this is a ‘pretty big public health concern’ for young people around the world. In 2023, social media inspired many of the ways we sought to improve our wellbeing – but not always for the better. Some began...
A new report from Global Action Plan analysing the scale of unnecessary emissions being generated by Big Tech’s business model has uncovered just how energy intensive it really is. Recently, it’s become all but impossible to use social media without being constantly bombarded with ads. And while online marketing is nothing new, you may have begun noticing that whenever you open up your favourite apps these days, the products being pushed...
In the last few days, Britain’s Food Standards Agency has compared being around cake in the office to passive smoking. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction has concluded that no amount of alcohol is safe. Yes, our wellbeing is important, but can’t we have fun anymore? Barely a month into 2023, and we’re already being bombarded with a variety of new ways to take the fun out of...
The Ozempic injection, which keeps blood sugar levels in check for patients with Type 2 diabetes, has been in shortage for months following tenuous claims online that celebrities are using it to lose weight. In 2022, social media inspired many of the ways we sought to improve our wellbeing – but not always for the better. Some began self-diagnosing themselves after being bombarded with mental health content...
Sparking fresh concerns about the platform’s influence on children, new research has uncovered that its algorithm is pushing videos about eating disorders and self-harm to 13-year-olds. According to research from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), TikTok appears to be pushing videos about eating disorders and self-harm to children as young as 13. The study, which looked into the platform’s powerful algorithm, found accounts promoting suicide...
As Instagram faces pressure to stop displaying only what it deems ‘most engaging’, it’s time we assessed the impact of engineered content that influences us in ways we’d otherwise steer clear of. Fairly recently, I attended an event intended for likeminded people to gather and discuss their interests. Situated in a remote part of the UK, phone signal was scarce (or so I thought) and I spent the day getting to...
Making shopping easier than ever, these addictive services are designed to encourage overspending. This poses a significant issue in the face of our current climate crisis. Since the start of the pandemic, 23% of 18- to 24-year-olds have turned to buy now, pay later services (BNPL) when shopping online. Designed to encourage overspending, these schemes have emerged as the ‘new normal’ for young, cash-strapped consumers, who are enticed by the option...
The Amazon of the style realm stands accused of copying its retail rival after dozens of images were shared on social media showing virtually identical garments from the two outlets. Here’s why this paints a terrifying picture of the Earth’s future. A year ago, I asked where we were in the ongoing fight against fast fashion after seeing numerous headlines touting its demise. Almost a year into the...
If you favour human and environmental wellbeing over the ever-growing consumption of throwaway fast fashion, switching to a smaller wardrobe may be your only option. Regardless of how tempting it is to buy into the flurry of new aesthetics, cores, and microtrends that flood our feeds, there’s no ignoring the catastrophic impact it’s having on our already suffering Earth. While dressing up is a sure-fire way to boost our moods and...
Perpetuating the toxic narrative that we need to alter our physical form for a season is having a serious toll on our mental health. Here’s why we should put the notion behind us once and for all. Trigger Warning: this article contains mention of eating disorders. Every year, as the warmer months roll in, an all-too-familiar phrase begins to permeate our conversations, our social media feeds, our television screens. Like clockwork, we’re...
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