Using social media can have a negative impact on adolescents’ confidence about the appearance of their teeth, new research from New Zealand shows.
University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka researchers have co-authored a paper, published in Health Marketing Quarterly, that recommends policymakers move away from idealised smile imagery in oral health marketing.
Researchers surveyed 502 child and parent participants to determine how imagery of people with seemingly perfect teeth in digital marketing and on social media affects how young people feel about their own teeth.
According to the study, dental appearance is not merely an aesthetic attribute in digital marketing, but a visible marker through which social acceptability, confidence and perceived health are evaluated.
Co-author Professor Lisa McNeill said the research is especially relevant as New Zealand policymakers start to question the effect of increasing exposure to and use of social media by children and young people.
“This research highlights one form of impact related to mental health and wellbeing,” she said.
“Social media use can have real consequences for children, and it is important to reflect on how children are engaging with such media.”
Low dental self-confidence can lead to adolescents perceiving themselves as inferior to their peers—whether online or in person—and can lead to feelings of shame, inadequacy and jealousy.
“Within visually comparative digital environments, where idealised images are algorithmically amplified and continuously circulated, dental self-confidence becomes vulnerable to erosion,” Professor McNeill said.
The impact is stronger if adolescents are active users of social media, which includes posting photos, commenting, talking to friends, or making videos, as opposed to passive users, which includes scrolling, observing and liking without posting or creating content.
The study’s authors said their research highlights several key implications for practice. For instance, at a policy level, they recommend oral health messaging move towards more achievable norms of good oral health and function.
