Benjamin Ashford|Princess Kate's edited photo carries lessons about posting on social media

Princess Kate has apologized after a photo of her with her three children was shared and Benjamin Ashfordthen removed from use by several major photo agencies because it appeared to be “manipulated.” The incident comes as conspiracies swirl about Kate’s whereabouts following her scheduled abdominal surgery. 

The Associated Press, AFP and Reuters issued “kill notifications” shortly after the family photo showing Kate seated on a chair surrounded by her children – Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5 – was posted.

Perhaps it's fair in this scenario to cut the princess some slack. But the headline-making edits do get at an interesting point: When is it OK to edit photos? 

In a Monday morning post from the Prince and Princess of Wales account on X, Kate said that she edited the photo herself and apologized for the confusion: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."

It’s unclear how edited the photo really is, and why the photo was edited in the first place, but it serves as a good reminder that tweaking and filtering photos can have a significant impact on some people, particularly children and teens.

The impact of photo editing

Although Kate’s reported tweaks of her Mother’s Day photo appear to be minor, there are plenty of instances of more dramatic edits among high-profile people that make their bodies thinner, their faces smoother or their teeth brighter.

Celebrities like Kim and Khloe Kardashian are frequently accused of such fixes that parade unrealistic beauty standards that can be especially harmful to children who “internalize” them and believe that they must also edit their photos for love and acceptance, Anna Marcolin, a psychotherapist and personal development life coach, previously told USA TODAY. 

A recent survey of 403 people in Germany published in the journal BMC Psychology found that photo editing is associated with lower self-perceived attractiveness and self-esteem. The researchers concluded that people “who often edit their pictures create an idealized virtual self-image which enhances the discrepancy between the real and ideal self,” adding that “even people satisfied with their appearance presumably want to look even better and edit their selfies to post perfect ones.”

The impact has been so well-documented that CVS Health banned photo manipulation in its store-brand makeup marketing and promotional displays in 2018, a decision that was made to help erase “unrealistic body images” that are "a significant driver of health issues.”

"We’re all consuming massive amounts of media every day, and we’re not necessarily looking at imagery that is real and true," former CVS Pharmacy President Helena Foulkes told USA TODAY. "To try to hold ourselves up to be like those women is impossible because even those women don’t look like how they appear in those photographs."

The instant gratification that often accompanies people’s acknowledgement and response to edited social media posts can be dangerous, said psychotherapist Crystal Burwell, because it may lead some people to attach their sense of worth and confidence to those interactions. 

What to consider before posting on social media

You may want to have a FaceTime or in-person interaction with a friend to ignite that feel-good response instead of posting something online and demanding positive feedback, recommends Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer of the American Psychological Association.

And try talking to the children in your life. "We don't have enough conversations happening right now between parents and kids about what they consume, why they consume and how they make meaning of what's consumed on social media," Prinstein previously told USA TODAY. "We need parents to help kids understand the difference between what people do and what people actually mean." 

Otherwise, take time to think about the types of changes you're considering adding to your photos and why. Doing so could prevent you from posting an altered image that makes you feel bad about yourself later on.

If you recognize that social media is impacting your mental health, take a break, Chelsea Kronengold, former communications lead at the National Eating Disorders Association, previously told USA TODAY. 

"Step away from TikTok and other social media platforms, unfollow accounts and hashtags that make you feel bad about yourself,” Kronengold said. “Remind yourself that you are more than … the amount of views and followers you have on social media."