Bytes and bites: social media use and dietary behaviours among adolescents across 41 countries.

Background: To examine the associations of problematic and excessive social media use (SMU) with dietary behaviours of adolescents.

Methods: We analysed the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey data, involving 222,865 adolescents (51.8% girls) from 41 countries. A dietary intake score was derived using consumption of fruits, vegetables, sweets, and sugary soft-drinks. Breakfast intake was categorised as daily or non-daily. Excessive SMU assessed how often respondents had online contact through social media, and problematic SMU was assessed through symptoms of addiction.

Results: Regression analyses showed that adolescents reporting problematic SMU had 54% lower odds in boys (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.42-0.51) and 64% lower odds in girls (OR 0.36; 0.33-0.40) of reporting good dietary intake compared with poor intake. Excessive SMU was also associated with lower odds of reporting good dietary intake. Problematic SMU associated inversely with daily fruit and vegetable intake, while excessive SMU was positively associated with daily fruit and vegetable intake across sex. Both types of SMU were linked to increased intake of sweets and sugary drinks and decreased breakfast consumption.

Conclusions: Problematic SMU was associated with poor dietary habits, while excessive SMU showed mixed findings. Prospective research is warranted to understand the causal mechanisms.

Impact: Problematic and excessive social media use (SMU) was associated with poor dietary habits with problematic SMU being more detrimental than excessive SMU. This research contributes to the literature by demonstrating that problematic and excessive SMU correlate differently with adolescent dietary habits, highlighting the need for targeted approaches to promote healthier eating. Adolescents should be encouraged to use social media responsibly, while social media companies should promote local fresh food options to enhance healthy dietary habits.