Social media addiction is one of the most critical issues of our time: Kira Davis
Author Kira Davis discusses the connection between social media and teen mental health on 'The Next Revolution.'
Social media has negatively affected many young people's body confidence, according to mental health professionals.
For years, many teens have struggled with keeping a positive outlook about their personal appearance, given that others appear flawless online.
California resident Jessie Wolinsky is learning to change her mindset in a major way — and hopes to empower others, too.
INCREASED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TAKES MENTAL HEALTH TOLL ON TEENS
Wolinsky is a 30-year-old social media influencer who is slowly losing her eyesight, Jam Press reports.
At the age of seven, Wolinsky was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare eye diseases that affects the retina.
Jessie Wolinsky, 30, is from San Francisco, California. She's empowering others to feel confident regardless of physical appearance. "It’s been a long journey to get to where I am now," she said. (Jam Press)
The disease involves cells in the retina that break down over time — eventually leading to total vision loss, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Learning about the diagnosis was difficult to comprehend, said Wolinsky, as Jam Press noted.
"[As a teenager], I was just kind of a happy-go-lucky kid who had all these envision[ing]s about my future," she said in a YouTube video posted to Shera, a platform dedicated to empowering women, as Jam Press reported.
The 30-year-old became legally blind a few years ago and has no peripheral vision. She described her eyesight as "tunneling in slowly" — until it disappears altogether. (Jam Press)
"After that," she continued, "I really truly felt like there was no way that I would be able to have any sort of life."
The social media influencer struggled with drugs, alcohol and suicidal thoughts as her vision declined, she said.
"It’s been a long journey to get to where I am now … to find happiness in my life," she added.
AGE 13 AND YOUNGER IS ‘TOO EARLY’ FOR KIDS TO BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SURGEON GENERAL ADMITS
The influencer has no peripheral vision and describes her eyesight now as "tunneling in slowly."
Wolinsky has learned to live with the disease and is gaining confidence in different ways.
Wolinsky, a 30-year-old from San Francisco, California, is spreading body positivity as she shares with others her own story of going blind. (Jam Press)
"Going blind has really flipped that on its head for me because one day, I’m not going to be able to see what I look like," the 30-year-old said.
She asked herself why she was spending so much time stressing about her appearance online, knowing the day would come when she couldn’t see herself at all.
"It’s allowed me to be a little bit more free with my appearance," Wolinsky said in the YouTube video.
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She has never been able to drive, and reading books is now not possible at all, she also said.
"I’m constantly letting go of things that I used to be able to do," she said.
Jessie Wolinsky was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare disease that slowly causes blindness over time, when she was just seven years old. (Jam Press )
Her adventurousness despite her disability empowers others living with disabilities, she said.
"Just walking down the street with my cane is a powerful statement," Wolinsky said of herself.
"I love that I’m able to be different."
"It confuses people, and they’re not used to seeing a blind person walking around or doing certain things like travel, so it definitely can get a lot of attention in that sense," she added.
The San Francisco resident has over 7,000 Instagram followers and over 44,000 TikTok followers — and is using her platform to change the stigma around blindness.
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Being vulnerable on the internet can help others who are also dealing with disabilities to not feel ashamed, Wolinsky feels, as Jam Press noted.
"I love that I’m able to be different and use this as a way to help other people accept things about themselves that they don’t love," she said.
