Abstract
Studies of adolescent body image and screen use are mostly limited to girls, and longitudinal data are scarce. We examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between these variables in mid-adolescent boys and girls. Data was collected when participants were at age 15 and 17, by questionnaire and objective measurements (n = 152 had complete data). Sex-specific linear regression was used to explore cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of self-reported screen use (total use, and time spent in gaming, TV/DVD/internet-based watching and internet use for communication) and body image, adjusting for vigorous physical activity, symptoms of depression, and body composition. Screen time was negatively associated with body image at both time points, although more strongly at age 15, and for girls only. Gaming and TV/DVD/internet watching was more strongly associated with body image than internet use for communication. Girls with above median screen time at both ages had 14% lower body image score at age 17 than girls with below median screen time at both time points. Our results suggest that screen use is likely to play a role in the development of body dissatisfaction among adolescent females. Limiting screen time may, therefore, help to mitigate body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls.
Highlights
Physical activity and characteristics of participants with complete data are presented in Tables 1 and 2 (Table 1: cross-sectional data at both ages along with longitudinal comparison between ages 15 and 17 and Table 2: longitudinal data for screen time)
We show that greater time spent in gaming and TV/DVD/internet watching was more strongly associated with lower body image than internet use for Facebook/e-mail/web-browsing, and that the strength of the association between body image and screen time varied by gender, age and type of day
These results were supported by the longitudinal observation that girls with above median total screen time at both ages had lower body image scores at age 17 than girls with below median screen time at both ages, even after adjusting for potential confounders
Summary
Negative effects of television use and print media on body image have been reported in numerous studies [2,3]. Findings suggest that internet usage, especially appearance-focused social media use and networking, may have adverse effects on perceptions of one’s physical appearance [3,4,5,6]. This is of special concern for adolescents, as they are experiencing major developmental changes and their internet usage has increased exponentially in recent years, largely through smartphones [7]
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