BETTER CONNECTED

Keep it Cleaner co-founder Steph Claire Smith shares how to make social media a safe space

-  MADISON BOGISCH

I consider myself lucky to have gone through my teenage years without Instagram. Sure, we had Myspace and MSN Messenger, but Instagram and TikTok are another kettle of fish. If I'd had these apps when I was a teenager, naivety would've led me to believe everything I saw online was real.

Though, to be fair, age isn't always the biggest factor when it comes to social media being a dangerous and misleading place.

Your own headspace and relationship with yourself play a huge part in how you use social media, and how it will affect you.

There are a lot of ideas around how you can work on your own relationship with yourself. And as part of that, let's chat about making social media (if you choose to be on it) a much safer and enjoyable place - because even those with an incredible relationship with themselves can find it a horrible place to be.

Do your best to avoid comparing yourself to others. However, this is easier said than done. The online comparison trap hits from every angle. I find myself falling into the comparison trap when I've lost confidence in myself in certain areas. I used to be really insecure about my physical appearance and I would compare my body to the bodies of people I followed online.

These days, my insecurities are mostly career related, so I find I compare myself to where others are at in their careers.