While many teenagers have social media such as Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat, Facebook, and more, a newer social media app is now becoming widely popular. This app is called BeReal.

BeReal is a French social media app that was first released in 2020, but is seen more often as of 2022. According to studies, 65% of BeReal users signed up in 2022, and it is still gaining in popularity, with reports showing that the number of monthly users has increased 315% over the past few months.

It is an app that, true to its name, makes users be real. Notifications will pop up at random times throughout the day, giving the user two minutes to take a picture, using a system that takes a picture using the front and back cameras simultaneously. There are no filters or editing, just a picture of what is going on at the moment.

BeReal has often been described as being an anti-instagram app, showing an accurate image of what someone is doing, not a purposely edited and glamorized picture of someone that tries to gain attention and set unrealistic expectations. Many believe that apps such as Instagram that show false realities are a main cause of lots of insecurities in teenagers. BeReal, on the other hand, is aiming to help people connect, without connecting over exaggerated experiences or looks.

BeReal is designed to show an authentic reflection of what people are doing in their everyday life, and many teenagers are attracted to the app because of this. BeReal is growing in popularity so much, it prompts the question of whether apps like it will eventually outgrow apps like Instagram and Tik Tok, and become the new social media norm.