NEW research from the Dove Self-Esteem Project shows social media has become one of the biggest threats to young people’s mental health today, with over 8 in 10 youth mental health specialists saying social media is fueling a mental health crisis among young people. With this campaign, Dove wanted to elevate the impact of harmful beauty content on social media and take action to advance legislative change to make social media safer for young people. The Dove Self-Esteem Project released Cost of Beauty – a powerful new film illustrating the impact toxic beauty content on social media can have on youth mental health. The film – which has now been viewed more than 19 million times – was inspired by real stories of young people.
Social media has become one of the biggest threats to young people’s mental health today, with over 8 in 10 youth mental health specialists saying social media is fueling a mental health crisis among young people. With this campaign, Dove is taking action against harmful beauty content on social media and helping to advance legislative change to make social media safer for young people.
This campaign is part of the Dove Self-Esteem Project's mission to reach 250 million young people with no-cost, academically validated self-esteem and body confidence boosting tools by 2030. The primary audience for this campaign was parents and anyone who wants to take action and make social media safer for the next generation.
Releasing its newest campaign film/PSA, “Cost of Beauty”, Dove chronicled the real story of Mary, a young girl impacted by harmful social media content and practices. The film, intended to illustrate the scale and impact of social media’s impact on youth mental health and drive urgent action to protect the next generation, was developed in consultation with mental health and disordered eating experts at National Alliance for Eating Disorders and Project HEAL. To date this powerful film has been viewed over 19 million times online.
To drive systemic change, Dove also partnered with ParentsTogether Action and Common Sense Media to help advance the 2023 Kids Online Safety Act, a legislative bill which aims to protect kids’ safety online and pushes for more transparency on social media design.
Launching the film and campaign partnerships, Dove drove awareness of this issue and called on lawmakers to act now, by convening voices of authority in ethical tech and youth mental health for a powerful live event in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 11, 'A Call for Kids' Online Safety: A Forum for Change,' centering youth and parents to share their stories. A recording of the live event streamed on Dove US YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok channels.
