Instagram will start removing the number of “likes” starting this upcoming year. Popularity and the term “clout” is something many teens in our generation want to obtain. A way of acquiring this is by the number of likes you get on your Instagram posts. 

Because of this, the number of likes you get can become an unhealthy competition. 

“I feel like instagram is a platform where you should share the fun times you’re having,” Chicaiza said. “You shouldn’t have to worry about your popularity or the number of likes you get.” 

Instagram will still allow you to see the number of likes your own posts gets, but you will be unable to view other accounts’ amount of likes. Sophomore Emma Cole is all for this new update. 

“I feel like I worry too much about how many people like my posts,” Cole said. “If I don’t get too many, then I feel like deleting the post.” 

The amount of likes you get on Instagram is one of the top social media platforms to compare popularity. Sophomore Alex Cussimanio agrees that a certain number of likes determines whether or not to delete the post in general. 

“I think removing the like count is a good idea because when I don’t get a lot of likes on a post I take it down,” Cussimanio said. “I don’t want to have to take a post down because of likes, so I’m for it.” 

Teens today compare themselves to other people on Instagram, which can create an unhealthy mindset and worsen mental health. With the removal on likes, junior Rachel Ayala hopes that teens will quit comparing themselves to others and start being their own self. 

“On other social media apps like Snapchat and VSCO, I don’t ever find myself comparing the same way I do with Instagram,” Ayala said. “I definitely think it’s better for teens to stop comparing themselves because I feel like social media causes people to want to look and be like anyone but themselves.”