Facebook boosts young people's self-esteem, study finds

By Staff Writer

A new study from Cornell University researchers reveals that Facebook can help improve the self-esteem of college students.

The report, which is called Mirror, Mirror on My Facebook Wall: Effects of Exposure to Facebook on Self-Esteem, concluded the social networking site allows young adults to filter out what they do not like about themselves. For example, students can "un-tag" themselves from photos that they do not consider flattering and delete any negative posts on their wall. Furthermore, most feedback from friends on Facebook is usually positive.

In the study, a total of 63 college students each sat in front of a computer for three minutes. Some of the participants could visit their Facebook pages, while others faced computers that had a mirror propped up against the screen. Another group sat in front of computers with no computer and no Facebook access.

All of the students then answered questions that measured their self-esteem. The Facebook users provided much more positive feedback about themselves than the other participants. Individuals who edited their Facebook profiles during the study had the highest self-esteem.

Adolescents who have low self-esteem may benefit from boarding schools, which are designed to provide help for troubled teens.