“ Nearly 200 million children under the age of 5 suffer from undernutrition, and another 40 million suffer from … obesity at the same age.” 

National Library of Medicine.

Every day, children worldwide attend school and receive the vital education needed to be an active contribution to modern day society. An integral part of their school experience is the school food. However, with many schools globally offering unhealthy food options, many children have begun making dietary decisions which are potentially detrimental to their health. 

Although obesity has existed for thousands of years, it has only recently become a serious problem. Only a century ago, a majority of the world’s population had just enough or not enough food to get by. Their meals were almost exclusively homemade and simple. However, by the start of the 20th century, technological advancements in agriculture such as steam tractors allowed for food to be more readily available to the general public. Since then, the addition of packaged foods to most diets, fast food restaurants have become more common. 44.25% of people in a survey by the Tasting Table admitted to eating out at least once per week. The fall in home cooked food contributes greatly to modern obesity.

 In 2016, 370 million children, aged 0-19 were considered obese, globally. This epidemic is a particularly critical situation as even slightly obese youth have been known to be particularly susceptible to becoming obese adults and be stuck with critical diseases like cancer and diabetes. Furthermore, the lack of adequate health and nutrition education for children in many parts of the world further contribute to the urgency of the situation. With 4 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese (Source: World Health Organisation - WHO), it is improbable that anyone would wish such statistics upon the future populations as well. Various measures must be taken in order to prevent this problem from continuing. 

A study by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in the United States revealed that roughly 18.5% of childrens’ days are spent in school lessons (not including extra - curricular activities), the second longest time they spent on anything, with sleep being the first at 40.3%. To combat obesity, the problem must be addressed where children spend the most of their time while they are awake - school.

Most people, including children, feel inclined to purchase the cheaper option, even when unhealthy foods are sold cheaper than healthy foods. In 2017, an Australian survey found that 75% of primary schools and 60% of secondary schools who participated in the survey sold less healthy foods for a cheaper price. In the study, less healthy food items were referred to as “red foods” and included hotdogs and sausage rolls. Similarly, healthier food items were referred to as “green foods” and consisted of salads and sandwiches, among other things. One of the researchers, Ms Billich, noted that the price that foods are sold at influences the decisions made by students, especially younger children. She added that “If they are selling unhealthy foods that are cheap, it’s sending the wrong message to children...” If the price of “green food” in schools does not go down drastically, students will continue to consume unhealthy foods and have to deal with the results of such choices. 

Similarly, another study in the UK found that despite the reduction of unhealthy foods available in school, students, primarily high school or secondary school students, purchased many of the unhealthy items banned in schools at nearby stores during lunch breaks and after school. In 2007, the availability of candies, sugary drinks and high-fat snacks at schools became restricted by law in the United Kingdom. Despite this, students have continued to consume various of the banned products, buying them instead from supermarkets and fast food restaurants near their schools.  Many of these items have been known to be contributing factors of obesity which has been known to lead to more severe health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. Even outside of schools, prices have been known to be higher for healthy food compared to unhealthy food. In the United States, The National Library of Medicine found that unhealthier food was half the price of healthier food, on average. Changes should be made to this system, such as the government subsidising the reduction of healthy food prices near schools, to encourage children to make their own choices but to still eat healthily. 

Furthermore, this price gap also means that children living in poverty are often given no choice but to eat ultra processed foods for their meals multiple times a week. According to the World Health Organisation, “1 in 3 children under five - or 200 million - is either undernourished or overweight.” Obesity among lower income families has become a new type of malnutrition, causing children to suffer from equally consequential results. This makes it all the more crucial to provide affordable healthy food in schools, allowing the students to have at least one healthy meal a day. This will not only improve their health, a study found that a healthier diet will also improve their cognitive and social skills. Additionally, by teaching and encouraging students to make healthier dietary choices, they are able to transfer these concepts and lessons to their home and other aspects of their lives in the future, allowing for a healthier population as time goes by.

However, with this in mind, the argument has been raised that serving unhealthy foods in schools encourages healthy decision making as well as being a cheaper option for students who are unable to afford other food. On the contrary, unless students are given more encouragement and set up for success in making the right decisions, they will continue to consume excessive amounts of unhealthy foods. On top of this, many students have been known to continue consuming excessive amounts of unhealthy food even after being taught the consequences of doing so. More active measures must be taken in order to solve this problem.

In my opinion, schools should find a compromise that works well for them, allowing children freedom to make their own choices while guiding and encouraging them to make healthy choices. Also, they should ensure clear and easy to understand nutrition education is provided to all students, teaching students about the results of their choices and how to make good ones. For many schools, this would include finding a way to lessen or completely remove the price gap between healthy and unhealthy foods. Also, they could decide on certain days or times when unhealthy foods are available and unavailable for purchase, for example only selling them after school, rather than letting it be on offer at all times. 

In conclusion, schools should not prevent the sale and serving of unhealthy foods completely. However, they must find a way to teach students to make the right decisions while making healthy foods accessible to all. 

According to Healthline, “some highly processed products, such as those from Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger, are just as high in total and saturated fat as their meat counterparts.”And it also contains ingredients that some people do NOT want to consume. These include refined oils, modified cornstarch, dextrose, or added sugar/sodium. 

Processed foods, such as cereals, candies, chips and other packaged goods, have been a big part of modern man’s diet, and these foods can contain well over 3,000 unnatural chemicals. And, according to the National Library of Medicine, processed foods have a direct link to creating health problems, especially diabetes mellitus, type 1. A few other health issues include Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Graves's disease, obesity, heart problems, and more. And, as we have seen above, synthetic meat also contains lots of similar unnatural chemicals.

To put it simply, not enough time has passed to have the data required to see if this product is healthy for us in the long term. Many experts say that plant-based meat could have unknown effects, and that is why we should be wary of synthetic meat.

Your Path…

Now, you have seen both sides of synthetic meat. From here on, it's your choice, to follow the path of synthetic meat or to continue following the road of true meat. But, what if you can’t decide? Well, nobody said you have to stick to one option. You can have your portion of real meat, but remember that this meat is coming from factory farms and is still quite unhealthy. But if you’re feeling all fancy, go ahead and try some plant-based meat. Just keep in mind that this could potentially harm your health when you consume it in large amounts.

And, of course, we can’t forget our other friends, vegetables and fruit. These are essential to our diet, for they clean our body up, and provide vitamins and minerals to keep our body in excelling condition. Not only that, but fruits and vegetables are of utter importance if we want to discontinue the horrid practices of industrial farming. 

Another course of action which is suggested by experts and doctors all over the world is to simply eat the most natural thing you can get. Eat a handful of vegetables and fruit. When you eat meat, make sure it’s derived from a sustainable source, such as cattle ranches and pastures where cows can roam free. This way, you can end factory farming, but still eat 100% natural meat and stay healthy.

There simply hasn’t been enough evidence to prove if synthetic meat is actually good for our health, or the direct opposite as it’s a very new topic, a maze of danger, gold, and the unknown, spreading across the globe. You have seen the clear benefits and downsides. There could be more to this story that we don’t know. There could be benefits we do not know yet. If you want to explore, go ahead. If you want to play it safe, play it safe. So, this is why we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about plant-based meat…yet.

“How to get skinny?”, “How to stop aging?”, “Be skinny but not flat”, “Have an hourglass figure just don’t be chubby”. “ Girls should reach all of our beauty standards without makeup”. - Society. Achieving all of society’s beauty standards is an impossible task- and even more impossible when you are a woman. 

No matter the amount of creams, serums, or botox you get, there's nothing that will stop you from getting older and developing some wrinkles and fine lines. Though this is common sense, women are still expected to somehow buy a time machine and stay young forever no matter the cost. If you think about men aging, you never really give it a second thought, and men are just expected to age regularly. If you think about it, when have you ever seen an anti-aging cream ad that has a man’s face on it? That type of thing just happens once in a blue moon. According to a study done by science district.com, they found out that women aging devalues their most important “social asset” ; physical attractiveness.  On the contrary,  when men age, it increases their value in jobs and power. 

Body image and weight is also a topic that is very much talked about when discussing beauty standards. According to an article by Frontier, the French government has stated that they are constantly trying to “regulate the size and age”  of fashion models because of the nagging fear that it will start an “epidemic” of eating disorders in young women. Though it’s nice to see authority figures trying to prevent things like this from happening, it's shocking that beauty  expectations have gotten so severe we are even talking about something like an “Eating disorder epidemic” 

According to the Daily Mail, 80% of 10-year-old girls in the US have been on a diet. This just goes to show that not only are beauty standards across the world affecting the age demographic that they claim to be targeting such as older teens and women, but also are impacting young kids. There has also been an increase in children buying products from makeup stores which capitalizes on women's insecurities. 

A student, Annie O. did a social experiment in 2022 where for a few days in the week she would put on a bit of makeup for school while the other days would not wear any. “I found that on the days I wore makeup, guys would be nicer to me.” However, there were some negative effects like students insisting that she was “begging for attention”.

This introduces a concept widely known as “Pretty Privilege”. Pretty privilege is where people treat you differently (mainly better) when you look “Stereotypically pretty”. With this being said, pretty privilege also has its downsides creating venomous stereotypes for girls who do like to wear makeup. Calling them “Attention seeking” which turns girls against each other. So, either way, there is no winning.

Interviewing same-grade student Samik R, he spoke on whether HE feels pressured to look nice and be accepted. “I don't feel the need to look a certain way. I just don’t.” He remarks that his experience with talking about insecurities and standards always comes from his experiences and conversations with his female friends and them talking about it. 

In conclusion,  I believe that we should stop putting mass amounts of pressure on women and girls about how they look and act compared to society's expectations. From increasing eating disorders, impossible aging standards and the poisonous spread of what is now called “Pretty privilege”, it is evident there needs to be a change made. Not just for the present, but for our future, and the world our daughters will soon be living in. Beauty is not an ideal, a prize we should be expected to achieve- beauty is what lies inside all of us and shines through like a beacon of light throughout a dark pathway.

Despite all of the incredible factors that social media has provided for us, the pervasive use of social media has also brought about a slew of negative consequences, affecting our mental health, relationships, and overall well-being. 

One of the most pronounced adverse consequences of social media would be its impact on our mental health. The constant exposure to curated, idealized versions of other people's lives can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression. Many individuals fall into the trap of comparing their own lives to the seemingly perfect lives of other people. This will then often lead to a distorted sense of self-worth. 

On that point, another major factor, and the most prominent one, is addiction. Social media platforms are designed to be addictive. The endless scrolling, constant notifications, and the dopamine rush from likes and comments all make it easy to become ensnared in social media. This addiction can have detrimental effects on productivity, relationships, and overall well-being. Many people find themselves wasting hours each day on social media instead of engaging in more meaningful activities. For example, the average screen time for a teen is 7 hours according to the exploding topics blog! It’s crazy, right? 

Keeping the amount of screen time in mind leads us to our next major impact which would be cyberbullying. Social media provides a platform for cyberbullying, which can be incredibly damaging, especially to young individuals. The relative anonymity of the internet emboldens some people to engage in hurtful behavior they might not otherwise engage in face-to-face. People can be called names, shamed for their physical shape, and many more very stressful things. Cyberbullying can also lead to emotional distress like FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Social media is a breeding ground for FOMO. Seeing your friends post pictures of exciting events or vacations can make you feel like you're missing out on life. 

The final and possibly most crucial impact would be our privacy on social media. The information we share on social media can be exploited for various purposes, including targeted advertising and data mining. Our personal data is often sold to third parties, which can result in privacy breaches, identity theft, and other security concerns. 

As we have just taken a look at how social media affects us both positively and negatively, I feel that social media has left a bigger negative impact than a positive impact on us. While social media has undoubtedly brought positive aspects to our lives, such as instant communication and the ability to connect with people globally, the negative side of social media is a bit more overwhelming than the positive side. 

But this does not have to stay the same forever. If we can mitigate some of these negative effects and set boundaries for ourselves, then this problem won’t keep on occurring. For example, if you want to mitigate the negative impact on mental health, we can promote digital well-being. Some educational institutions should introduce digital literacy programs that emphasize the curated nature of online content. Additionally, tools that enable users like us to manage their screen time and set healthy boundaries should be more readily available and actively encouraged.

Another example could be if you would like to address the privacy concerns that occur, you could enhance privacy settings and controls. This will allow users to have more agency over their data meaning that this would make it easier for users to understand and modify their privacy settings, thus mitigating concerns about data exploitation. 

In essence, I believe that social media has exerted a predominantly negative influence on our lives. Despite the existence of positive aspects, the overwhelming prevalence of negative consequences cannot be ignored. Nevertheless, there is room for change. By implementing the solutions I've highlighted, along with other potential remedies, a more balanced equilibrium can be achieved between the positive and negative impacts of social media.