Are the Use and Addiction to Social Networks Associated with Disordered Eating Among Adolescents? Findings from the EHDLA Study
Open accessAbstract
The objective of this study was to examine whether the use and addiction of social networks are associated with disordered eating in Spanish adolescents. A cross-sectional study was carried out using data from the Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities study. The final sample included 653 adolescents (44.0% boys). Social network use (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok) was evaluated by a single item scale with multiple response options. The Short Social Networks Addiction Scale-6 Symptoms was used to determine addiction to social networks. Disordered eating behaviors were assessed with the Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food scale. Adolescents with high social network use had greater odds of disordered eating (odds ratio [OR] = 1.88, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.17–3.02). Adolescents with high social network addictive behaviors also showed a higher likelihood of presenting disordered eating (OR = 2.04, 95% CI 1.34–3.12). Social network use and addiction must be considered factors related to disordered eating among adolescents.
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Eleven studies used self-developed questionnaires for outcome evaluation, of which only six paired it with standardized measures.
“Eleven studies used self-developed questionnaires for outcome evaluation [42, 67–72, 74, 80–82], of which only six paired it with standardized measures [67–69, 71, 72, 80, 81].”
From Scrolling through adolescence: a systematic review of the impact of TikTok on adolescent mental health (2025) · cites this paper as [81]
The Social Networks (Independent Variable) section describes a study-specific social-network-use score, and the Disordered Eating (Dependent Variable) section says the study used the validated SCOFF questionnaire to assess its outcome. Thus this paper supports the use of a standardized measure alongside a study-specific measure, but not the characterization of its outcome questionnaire as self-developed. As a single study, it also cannot substantiate the totals of eleven and six studies. (LLM, conf=0.77)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredTime spent on TikTok has not been clearly linked to a higher likelihood of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction.
“While time spent on TikTok has not been clearly linked to an higher likelihood of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction [73, 81]”
From Scrolling through adolescence: a systematic review of the impact of TikTok on adolescent mental health (2025) · cites this paper as [81]
Table 2 reports no statistically significant association between self-reported TikTok use and disordered eating among the Spanish adolescents studied. However, the Social Networks (Independent Variable) section describes a rating of use, not time spent, and the study did not assess body dissatisfaction as an outcome. Those parts of the claim are not supported by this source. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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References 51 · Cited by 20
- Authors
- López-Gil, J. F., Chen, S., Jiménez-López, E., Abellán-Huerta, J., Herrera-Gutiérrez, E., Royo, J. M. P., Mesas, A. E., & Tárraga-López, P. J.
- Affiliations
- Victoria University (AU)
- Santa Lucía University General Hospital (ES)
- Universidad de Murcia (ES)
- Universidade Estadual de Londrina (BR)
- ORCID
- Venue
- International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
- Published
- 2023-05-26
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 3775-3789
- ISSN
- 1557-1874 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-1882
- OpenAlex
- W4378471923
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 5.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Academica-e (Universidad Pública de Navarra) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Universidad Pública de Navarra
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Keywords
- social network use, social media addiction, disordered eating, adolescents, eating disorders, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Spanish adolescents
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