What is #ScrollSAFE?
#ScrollSAFE returns in September 2026. First Steps ED’s digital awareness campaign helps young people, parents, carers and adults take control of their online experience and understand how online content can affect self-image.
This year, we’re taking a reflective look back at the 90s, a time of magazine covers, celebrity culture, airbrushed images and diet trends. How much has really changed?
Then vs Now: Has Anything Really Changed?
In the 90s, diet culture came through our letterboxes. Magazine covers told us how to lose weight. Celebrity bodies were held up as ideals. Diet trends came and went. Airbrushing created impossible standards.
Today, the technology looks different, but the messages are familiar. Instead of one magazine cover, we can now see hundreds of carefully edited bodies in a single scroll. Algorithms learn what keeps us watching and can continue serving us similar content.
Your Feed Isn’t Random
Interact with one type of content, and you’ll often see more of it. That’s the algorithm shaping your feed.
What you watch, like, and search can lead to repeated messages about dieting, weight loss, exercise, “clean” eating and appearance.
Our new Understanding Algorithms guide explains how feeds shape what young people see and how parents and carers can support healthier scrolling.
What We’re Talking About
Explore our interactive content designed to raise awareness about mental health and social media.
