Relation Between Social Media Use and Body Image Concerns and Disordered Eating in Adolescence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Although socio-developmental models of social media use among adolescents have indicated that social media usage may be associated with body image concerns and disordered eating behaviors, a comprehensive quantitative review of the evidence on this relationship among adolescents is not yet available. The current systematic review and meta-analysis examined the pooled association between social media use, body image concerns and eating symptoms among adolescents. Eligible studies published from 2005 to mid 2024 were searched for in scientific databases. A three-level meta-analytic model was used to calculate effect sizes for body image outcomes (i.e., body concerns, eating symptoms, self-objectification, and internalization of appearance ideals). A total of 45 studies with 33,086 adolescent participants met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated a significant association between elevated levels of social media engagement and higher body image and eating disorder symptoms both in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Meta-regression analyses showed a stronger association between body image outcomes, eating symptoms and social media use in studies that examined the Instagram use compared to those that encompassed all social media platforms, and those with a higher percentage of female participants. The results of the study indicate a need for increased social media literacy among adolescents and interventions designed to mitigate the potentially detrimental effects of excessive social media use.