Young people should swap Love Island for Springwatch – it might improve their mental health

Sophie Gradon was astonished by the negative comments about her appearance on social media – but shows like Big Brother and Love Island emphasise superficial values, so perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised

Sophie Gradon, who died this week, appeared on 'Love Island' in 2016 (Instagram/sophiegradon)

Why do so many intelligent women say watching ITV2’s popular reality series Love Island is their “guilty pleasure”? Appearing on the programme might bring instant fame and financial rewards to the body-obsessed participants, but there are considerable downsides. Bullying online, and lack of privacy, for starters.

Instant fame resulting from that kind of exposure can be very hard to handle, especially when you are out of the limelight for a while.

Sophie Gradon, who was found dead this week, appeared in the show in 2016. She’d spoken freely about her depression and crippling anxiety and once said she’d sold her soul to reality television. Gradon was astonished by the negative comments about her appearance on social media – but shows like Big Brother and Love Island emphasise superficial values, so perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised.

Young women today are plagued by a focus on body “perfection”, and people who claim these shows are “harmless fun” should consider the link between what they portray and the rise in self-harm and mental health issues among the young.

I don’t think young people are getting “dumber”, as one study claimed last week, but I do think there’s a link between crap like Love Island and a lack of self-esteem. Go ahead and call me a curmudgeon, I’m not watching – I’d rather watch animals or birds on a nature programme like Springwatch. You learn more.