Impact of Adolescent Social Media Use on Body Image, Mental Health and Eating Disorders: A Review

Abstract

Adolescents are considered vulnerable to negative influences on social media because their use of the medium expands at a time when they are in a transition period in their lives dealing with many other issues such as puberty, exam stress and anxiety about their future. This review focuses on primary research articles exploring the impact of social media on adolescents’ mental health, body image and eating disorder related issues. This review also includes articles regarding how social media can be used to deliver positive messages, recruit vulnerable subjects for early intervention and explore the effectiveness of new treatment strategies. Based on the reviewed articles, it seems that girls, boys and transgender persons are similarly at-risk from negative social media influence. Going ahead, there is a need to focus on the nature of social media activity rather than just time spent to identify vulnerable young persons. It is possible that in some cases social media usage can drive a vicious cycle that amplifies negative psychological attitudes initiated due to social and personal context. Further research is required to explore the role parents and social media platforms can play in maintaining positive attitudes and effecting early intervention programs.