Introduction
Organizations have corporate codes of conduct containing a codified set of ethical standards to which the company intends to adhere. Since its launch in 2010, Instagram (IG) has had exponential growth and set various moral standards to protect its users and partners. However, there remains a rising concern about the negative psychological impacts that Instagram has on young people.
Notably, 70% of the United States uses interactive multimedia. A study by Pew Research indicates that 95% of adolescents aged 13 to 17 years use this application when online. Many problems have been reported as resulting from internet addiction and unhealthy competition in sending Instagram pictures. Although there are a few proposals for salvaging the situation, Instagram needs to enhance its engagement in corporate social responsibility.
Ethical Issue: Detrimental Impact of Instagram on Teens’ Mental Health
Instagram can contribute to poor self-image due to its focus on sharing photographs. For instance, 32% of girls said that when they had bad feelings about their bodies, IG made them feel worse. Negative upward comparison and desire to have a similar lifestyle, shape, or face are harmful to mental health.
About 40% of young women in the United States and the United Kingdom who felt unattractive attribute their perception to Instagram. There is always pressure to showcase better photos across different settings, leading to depression. In critical cases, a child may develop suicidal ideation from such negative thought patterns of insufficiency.
In addition, unrestricted use of IG by minors can cause unhealthy comparisons and anxiety. Scholars suggest that after spending excessive time on this networking site, teenagers may develop a fear of physical interaction due to the overuse of filters and augmented reality in their Instagram posts. They feel bad when people do not like or comment and share.
Meeting new people can be intimidating due to the fear of disapproval. Teenagers may be trolled and receive mean comments and dislikes for posting a low-quality picture. As a result, the victim feels unlovable and may start having suicidal thoughts. Furthermore, internet community platforms lead to the formation of a counterfeit lifestyle where everything is virtual. Thus, during face-to-face interaction, maintaining eye contact in communication proves a challenge.
Social media addiction, characterized by compulsive use, low concentration on hobbies and friends, and scrolling during important activities, is another problem that teenagers are now fighting. Teenagers with internet dependence may lock themselves in their rooms and spend hours staring at the application. Some audiences reveal that they often miss their friends’ posts and have to stay afloat with every update from hundreds of their friends. Worse still, internet addiction may go on for a prolonged time before the signs start to manifest publicly.
The company’s executives were aware of the potential harm the platform could cause before its official launch. The US Today news channel reports that top officials at Facebook, a subsidiary, have recognized the consequences of a photo-based platform. Thus, the principle of nonmaleficence and justice should apply in these cases.
There are benefits that individuals can obtain from the platform, making its preservation necessary. However, Instagram and its Parent company, Facebook, privatized its data and algorithms, making it difficult to quantify the extent of damage to young users. The destruction should not be overlooked to preserve the sanity of future generations. Instagram should be at the forefront of addressing the distress that some have after using its products.
Ethical Approaches Currently Adopted by Instagram
One of the features that Instagram has established so far is providing time-lapse reminders. Particularly, there is an improved feature that pops up the text “take a break” for people who have overstayed in the App, giving intervals of 30, 20, or 10 minutes. The spokesperson stated that the feature is not enabled by default but will be recommended for minors.
In addition, the firm is working towards enabling users to mass delete their past posts and comments. Thus, if there was anything in their history profile that triggered anxiety, the young people can choose to archive the content. Teenagers can become more conscious of their activities and avoid doomscrolling, where an individual stares at the screen without necessarily being mindful of what they are looking at.
The second effort that Instagram is making is rolling out parental control, which allows guardians to view what their children are doing on the page remotely. In addition, it promises to integrate sensitive content control, guiding juveniles on which profiles to watch and which to skip. The new, rolling, safer, and healthier online platform will implement changes that reduce the chances of addiction, excessive time spent following celebrities, and the desire to copy their fashion and trends.
The company’s CEO, Kevin Systrom, made public remarks stating that they want to be more active in fulfilling their corporate responsibility. He posted on his Twitter account that they want to be part of the solution by helping the community understand the time they spend on Instagram. There will be a breakdown of the time spent on Instagram to encourage users to engage in quality sessions.
The teenagers can re-evaluate the profiles they visited and decide on the ones that they wish to drop. Moods often fluctuate depending on the image or post a person watches, leading to feelings of either happiness or depression. The company anticipates developing a self-regulation tool on the app to help people self-monitor and assess their experiences. The ultimate goal is to make Instagram less toxic for young users while also harnessing other benefits, such as preserving memories and fostering connections.
Recommended Management Strategy and Tactics
Instagram should consider promoting reality shows that depict the realities celebrities face, helping teenagers understand the deception of social media. Many people on Instagram put a lot of effort into their endeavors to appear perfect by posting highly edited pictures. The company’s management can have regular challenges where people are asked to post real pictures, despite the flaws. To encourage more teenagers to join, they can provide incentives to the winners. The aim is to remove the perfectionist standards that make young people feel bad about their bodies and lessen the pressure on where to take the following picture.
The other tactic is for the corporation to enhance its systems and promote the privacy of minor users while protecting them from cyberbullies. The open nature of networking platforms exposes minors to inappropriate content and users. For example, a child may establish connections with grown-up women who post images with skimpy dressing. These friends may encourage the juvenile to post sexy pictures and troll them if they fail. Therefore, it is crucial to add features that flag certain content as inappropriate for a specific age group. The other method is to encourage parents to take an active role in monitoring the activities on the platform.
Sponsoring online public education on the possible effects of social media networks is a good strategy for enhancing ethical performance. Instagram can improve its moral obligation by teaching its users the importance of upholding the values of kindness and mutual respect. They can have features that offer tips on staying safe and making the best use of time online. The platform should have a place for free learning resources. Moreover, the rights of users who bully others should be revoked, and their accounts should be blocked. The ethical code for providing relevant information is a powerful tool that can empower all audiences, making them safer and healthier when using their accounts.
Conclusion
The code of conduct outlines the principles that guide a corporation’s operations and its relationships with clients and stakeholders. Companies that operate internet community forums, such as Instagram, should be aware of the ethical issue of negative mental health in young users. Instagram acknowledges that young people can experience harm from using social media. They have implemented specific codes to mitigate the risk, including parental controls and time management tools. They should build on the existing standards to increase client education, privacy, and tactical reality shows.
Works Cited
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