Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When we talk about online safety, we usually think about passwords, scams or stranger danger. However, there is a different kind of danger, one that lives quietly in our social media feeds, namely, impossible to imagine beauty standards resulting in body dysmorphia which is shaping teenage mental health. Studies show that 97% of young people from the age of 12 upwards are on social media, often for hours a day. The impact is stark. By the age of 12, three out of four children already dislike their own bodies. Many report withdrawing from friends, overexercising and self harming following being compared or criticised online. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat surround us with filtered, edited and perfected images.

Even when we know they are not real, our brains will still compare. For teenagers, that comparison is acute. The emotional part of the adolescent brain develops faster than the critical thinking part. When teens are bombarded with ideal bodies, their reaction is immediate and emotional - "I do not look like that and I should".

A recent study found that almost 30% of adolescents showed signs of body dysmorphic disorder, preoccupied with flaws they believed they had. The highest risk was among girls and older teens. This is not just about body insecurity. Eating disorders linked to body dissatisfaction have some of the highest mortality rates of any mental health illness. This is why online safety must be expanded beyond passwords and privacy. Algorithms are pushing extreme content because it keeps us watching. Filters are normalising bodies that do not exist. Right now, young people are paying the price.

We need a cultural change and stronger regulation, real age checks and limits on harmful content, algorithm transparency and honest imaging. Digital literacy must be a core skill. We have to challenge the idea that a young person's worth is measured in likes or appearance. Australia is carrying out a radical experiment, with the banning of many social media platforms for children under 16. Many young people are reporting withdrawal anxiety but this is a social experiment worth undertaking. We should monitor it carefully and extrapolate our own learnings. There is a trend about taking back control from this many-headed, self-perpetuating, profit-driven industry that knows only too well its own algorithms.

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