Instagram is notorious for the use of photo editing filters and lenses and it’s no secret that many influencers use them. There are many other apps and plugins that enhance a person’s appearance in the photographs uploaded there.

But there is a dark side of it that not many people who use these tools to achieve that picture-perfect ideal and seek unattainable beauty standards are willing to speak about. In 2019, a report showed that nearly half of Instagram influencers who were surveyed said their job as an influencer impacted their mental health, and 32% said it negatively impacted body image.

Another study from 2017 ranked Instagram as the most dangerous social media platform in regards to young people’s mental health because along with other photo and video-based apps like Snapchat and TikTok, it offers filters and lenses that dramatically change the way someone looks.

The psychologists who research the influence of social media on mental health argue that many people feel upset that their real appearance doesn’t match with how they look online. This is extremely dangerous and can potentially cause body dysmorphia, a mental disorder in which someone fixates on and obsesses over one or more of their perceived physical flaws or defects, according to the Mayo Clinic.

But this is far from the only threat lurking in the social media apps. Another danger is a threat to our privacy and security, something that many apps are extremely vulnerable in. So to find out about that side of the coin, Bored Panda spoke with a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN named Daniel Markuson.

Markuson unexplained that “photo editing apps usually demand various permissions for a person's camera, photo library, location, microphone, and much more. Nobody would want any of this information to be accessed by a malicious third party, not to mention that some of those apps can even use a person's camera without their consent.”

In order to make sure that their privacy will not be compromised while editing their photos, Markuson argues, “users should pay attention to the legitimacy of the apps they choose to download from the app store.”

Markuson also listed some of the things that they should consider before downloading an app: “Photo editing apps are non-essential. The fewer apps a person has, the less data they collect and store.” Markuson’s advice is as follows: “if you can edit your photos on social media apps, like Instagram - do so.”

Moreover, Markuson reminds everyone that some of the top-ranked apps collect their users' data and later use it for marketing or malicious purposes. “Read the Terms of Service before using the app,” he suggested.

Another important thing is to pay attention to permission demanded by the app. “Your photo editing app doesn't need to know where you are when you edit your photos, or who is on your contact list.”

Markuson concluded that “the safe choice would be to use apps created by trustworthy, well-known companies, which are known to be more responsible with their users' data.”