Christina Aguilera’s powerful new video for ‘Beautiful’ highlights how social media harms kids

When Christina Aguilera released her now-iconic song “Beautiful” in 2002, she was sending a message—one about letting your inner beauty shine through no matter what the haters have to say about it. But now, on the song’s 20th birthday (can you even believe it?), Xtina just released an updated music video with an equally powerful message for the new world we live in.

Aguilera, who is now 41 and a mom to 14-year-old Max and 8-year-old Summer Rain, shared the new, updated version of the “Beautiful” music video in a series of posts on Instagram. To say that the updated video is powerful and haunting would be an understatement.

The new video shows young children, all attached to their phones, coping with struggles that all kids face today. There are young ballerinas obsessing over their bodies, a young girl wanting to look like the model she sees in a magazine, and a teen boy struggling with his mental health.

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But the video is hopeful, too. By the end, each of the kids shown gets help, wipes off the makeup, or rips the pages out of the magazine. There’s a sweet scene toward the end that shows kids playing outside on a beautiful, sunny day.

At the end of the video, over an image of a phone laying on the ground appearing to be bleeding, is this message: “In the last 20 years, since Stripped was first released, social media has transformed our relationship with our bodies, and in turn our mental health. Research suggests that time spent on social networking sites is associated with body image issues, self-harm and disordered eating in children and teens. This needs to change.”

Aguilera herself doesn’t appear in the video. Alongside her Instagram posts, she wrote, “We are Beautiful, no matter what they say ❤️‍ A message I will always stand by and a message I prioritize to instill in my own children through every chapter of their lives!”

While experts are just beginning to understand social media’s impact on children, one study shows that children younger than 11 years old who use Instagram and Snapchat are more likely to have problematic digital behaviors like having online-only friends and visiting sites parents would disapprove of, as well as a greater chance of taking part in online harassment.

That same study says limiting how much time a child spends on social media may reduce some of the negative effects of using social media at a young age.

She continued, “Today, it’s harder than ever to hear our own voice amongst so many others infiltrating our feeds and minds with mixed messaging… ultimately leading us to tune-out our own truth and self worth. The original ‘’Beautiful” video set out to bring awareness and a sense of compassion in the face of judgment, criticism, and outside opinions.  It still carries an important message to remember our core values outside of what’s being fed to us…to find a sense of balance and accepting ourselves for who we are.”

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It’s no coincidence that this powerful new video was released on World Mental Health Day. Just like she served us a lesson in body positivity and the beauty of all people back in 2002, Xtina is now teaching us the importance of mental health — especially for kids. She continues to be an icon for a whole new generation.