The New Era of Pictures: "Say Selfie"

"Let's take a selfie!" Most of us have used or know of people who use this phrase on a daily basis. This is not necessarily alarming or something you should be concerned with. However, some portion of the population with smart phones and technology are becoming obsessed with selfies. These are the people who are constantly posting pictures, seeking confirmation about their appearance and need praise from others. 

Access to constant social media is a growing concern for adolescents/teens and young adults who experience low self esteem, poor body image, obsessive compulsive disorder and narcissism. Teens and young adults are at a high risk of already having low self esteem and poor body image. Adding selfies to their daily routines for attention on social media is negatively impacting adolescents/teens who are always in search of approval. 

How can we reduce the amount off attention that adolescents/teens or young adults seek from social media? This is not an easy task, but parents can start by increasing the amount of time teens spend away from technology. Uniting as a family during the day without technology, playing outside or simply taking a vacation away from technology are all great ways to promote living in the present moment. Young adults can also choose to spend a portion of time each day without use of technology, find organizations that promote here and now thinking and just spending time socializing with friends in person. 

Increasing self esteem and the self image that teens and young adults have about themselves also can help reduce the selfie dependency. This can be reached with therapy and groups specialized in improving self esteem, social skills and self image. 

Keep taking selfies but lets not make a selfie a day a trend. Get off the computer, make friends in person and find self approval from technology free situations. Finding time to stay focused in the present moment is something we can all work on!