An alarming new trend has began to emerge amongst young women called “Instagram face”.

With social-media filters creating an unrealistic expectation of what a person should look like, there has been an increase in young people going under the knife.

The phenomenon sees young women try to emulate the social media influencers and celebrities they follow by getting cosmetic surgery.

Clinical phycologist from Monash University Dr Gemma Sharpe told 6PR Breakfast there has been an increase in young people presenting with body dysmorphia issues.

“We have girls and boys below the age of 10 with eating disorders, we’ve got teenagers requesting cosmetic procedures, it’s getting younger and younger.”

She said young people are putting too much focus on creating the perfect social media profile.

“Their social media profile is actually more important than their normal life profile, so creating this perfect image is really important for them.”

Dr Sharpe recommends talking to children about the importance of what we do with our bodies rather than how it looks.

“It’s about how we talk about our own bodies as parents, as well as how we chat with children about their own bodies,” she said.

“Social media can be super fun but it can also be damaging.”

Click play to hear the full interview. 

(Photo: iStock by Getty Images.)