Instagram is supposed to be friendly. So why is it making people so miserable?

For a growing number of users and mental health experts, the positivity of Instagram is precisely the problem, with its relentless emphasis on promoting 'perfect' lifestyles. Should everyone just stop scrolling?

When 24-year-old fashion blogger Scarlett Dixon posted a picture of herself having breakfast, the internet turned nasty. "The best of days start with a smile and positive thoughts. And pancakes. And strawberries. And bottomless tea," Dixon wrote on her scarlettlondon Instagram feed, under an image of her looking flawless on a freshly made bed flanked by heart-shaped helium balloons.

The sponsored post - for Listerine mouthwash, a bottle of which is visible on the side of the shot - was swiftly reposted on Twitter. "Fuck off this is anybody's normal morning," wrote Nathan from Cardiff. "Instagram is a ridiculous lie factory made to make us all feel inadequate." His post, which has garnered more than 111,000 likes (22 times as many as Dixon's original) and almost 25,000 retweets, prompted a wave of criticism, with the more printable comments ranging from "Fakelife!" and "Bunny-boiler" to "Let's pop her balloons" and "Who keeps Listerine on their bedside table? Serial killers, that's who."