Thank you to KIWINS × UNICEF for making this passion project possible.
Your worth exists beyond the screen.
We are a youth-led passion project raising awareness about toxic social media culture and encouraging healthier, kinder relationships online. We want young people to feel informed, supported, and confident using social media in a healthier way.
Use this table of contents to jump around the project and meet the creators behind it.
Meet the students behind The Sea Lions and learn why this topic matters to each of us.
“Social media has increased globally and helped us connect with one another and easily share information. However, it has also led to many people fixating over their appearance as a result of dangerous social media habits and content. My mission is to ensure everyone who is affected, and to spread awareness about the issue, to remind themselves of their self-worth in this website.”
“We are devoted to empower youth and set an example of how individuals are not measured by curated standards. We aim to expose toxic online culture and create a safe space for everyone.”
“We are a group of dedicated and passionate students driven to ensure everyone feels valued for who they are. We are committed to promote mental health and spread awareness about body dysmorphia.”
Created by students who care about mental wellbeing and supporting our generation.
Helping young people recognize the effects of toxic social media culture.
Spreading positivity, empathy, and encouragement online and in real life.
Our mission is to educate young people about toxic social media culture, encourage healthier online habits, promote kindness, and help people recognize unrealistic expectations they may encounter online.
To create a kinder digital environment through education, awareness, positive messages, and youth involvement.
These are some of the pressures that can affect how people feel about themselves and others online.
Constantly comparing your life to carefully selected posts can make everyday life feel “not good enough.”
Online content can create expectations that do not reflect the full reality behind a photo or video.
Filters, editing, posing, and selective posting can change how something looks and how viewers interpret it.
Harassment, rude comments, and public shaming can seriously affect confidence and mental wellbeing.
Repeated exposure to appearance-focused content can increase self-criticism and pressure.
Some trends reward extreme opinions, risky behavior, or unhealthy comparison instead of balanced information.
Social media is not always harmful, but what we see online can affect how we think about ourselves. Seeing edited photos, unrealistic expectations, and negative comments over and over can make comparison feel normal.
Adolescents spend a lot of time online and may feel pressure to look or act a certain way. Seeing the same unrealistic standards repeatedly can make them seem normal.
Filters, lighting, poses, and editing can make photos look very different from real life. Comparing yourself to edited images can create unrealistic expectations.
Hurtful comments online can still seriously affect someone. Negative messages about appearance or personality can stay with a person even after they close the app.
Some beauty and lifestyle trends promote standards that are difficult or impossible to reach. This can make people feel pressured to change themselves just to fit in.
Because social media is used so often, even small pressures can show up again and again. These numbers help show why healthier online habits matter.
Up to 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 report using a social media platform.
Nearly half of teens said social media makes them feel worse about their body image.
Source: U.S. Surgeon General advisory on social media and youth mental health.
Drag the slider to compare each image. Before-and-after photos can look very different, but a photo does not always show the full context behind the change.
Before
After
Before-and-after images can make a change look dramatic, but they do not always show every detail behind the images. Lighting, styling, angles, makeup, editing, or other changes can affect what we see.
Before
After
Small changes in lighting, makeup, expression, posing, camera angle, or editing can make a photo look different. That is why it helps to avoid treating one image as a complete picture of reality.
You do not have to quit social media to use it in a healthier way. Small choices can help you feel more in control of what you see, share, and respond to online.
Unfollow, mute, or hide accounts that constantly make you feel pressured. Make more room for content that is useful, supportive, or enjoyable.
Remember that posts can be edited, filtered, posed, sponsored, or carefully selected. One post rarely shows the full picture.
Pause before commenting. Avoid appearance-based criticism, rumors, or messages you would not say respectfully face-to-face.
Put your phone down during homework, meals, hobbies, or before bed so your day is not controlled by constant scrolling.
Turn off notifications you do not need and choose specific times to check apps instead of feeling like you have to respond immediately.
Review your privacy settings and think before sharing personal details, your location, passwords, or information about where you will be.
The internet doesn’t have to be negative. Share an encouraging message that someone might need today.
Words online can have a real impact. A supportive comment can help someone feel welcomed, while a hurtful one can stay with them long after they close the app.
Our Kindness Wall gives people a place to leave positive messages and help make online spaces a little kinder.
We gathered research and practical guidance about social comparison, appearance-focused content, and healthier ways to use social media.
Social media often shows selected highlights rather than ordinary moments. Comparing your full life to someone else’s highlight reel can create unfair expectations.
Its effects can depend on what someone sees, how they use it, and whether their online experiences support or harm their wellbeing.
Health advisory ↗ NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINEAppearance-focused content can contribute to self-criticism when highly curated images start to feel like normal expectations.
Read research ↗Research connects appearance-based comparison and feedback on social media with poorer body image and other negative outcomes for some teens.
Read article ↗ U.S. SURGEON GENERALA broader look at how often teens use social media, possible benefits and risks, and why safer online experiences matter.
Read advisory ↗ AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONAPA recommends helping young people learn how to question online content, recognize unhealthy patterns, and use social media more safely.
Read recommendations ↗Answer 10 quick questions about online pressure, edited content, cyberbullying, privacy, and healthier social media choices.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about toxic social media culture with us. Even a small choice, like leaving a kind comment, questioning an unrealistic post, or taking a break from your feed, can help make online spaces healthier.
Be kind online, and remember to be kind to yourself too.Schools, student groups, and community organizations can use this project as a starting point for conversations about healthier online spaces.
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