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Cited by 129Eating Disorders and BehaviorsBody Image and Dysmorphia StudiesImpact of Technology on Adolescents

The impact of social media use on body image and disordered eating behaviors: Content matters more than duration of exposure

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Sanzari, Christina M., Gorrell, Sasha, Anderson, Lisa M., Reilly, Erin E., Niemiec, Martha A., Orloff, Natalia C., Anderson, Drew A., Hormes, Julia M.·2023·Eating Behaviors
DOI 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2023.101722PMC PMC10363994
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Abstract

Social media use is rapidly expanding in terms of frequency, duration, and the diversity of platforms available. Given evidence for associations between social media use, body image disturbances, and disordered eating it is important to identify potentially harmful aspects of social media use that could serve as intervention targets. This study surveyed two demographically diverse undergraduate student cohorts in 2015 and 2022 to compare patterns in social media use, body image, and disordered eating behaviors between samples, including as a function of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to test the hypothesized moderating role of specific content consumed in the association between social media use and maladaptive outcomes. Participants in 2022 reported greater body image disturbances, more frequent vomiting and laxative use, and more time spent on a greater number of social media accounts, with significantly greater use of image-based platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. Moderated regression analyses suggest that type of content consumed, but not the amount of time spent on social media or diversity of platforms utilized, is associated with body image disturbances and disordered eating behaviors after controlling for gender and body mass index. Specifically, exposure to weight loss content was associated with lower body appreciation, greater fears of negative appearance evaluation, and more frequent binge eating. Contrary to initial hypotheses, exposure to body positivity/neutrality content did not have protective effects. Findings suggest that interventions targeting negative consequences of social media use should focus on addressing content consumed, rather than time spent on social media platforms.

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  • Higher use of social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok that allow adolescents to engage with photo and video-related activities is associated with higher levels of body image and eating concerns, rather than global time spent on social media.

    “Other recent studies have also put forward that a higher use of social media platforms such as Instragram and TikTok that allow adolescents to engage with photo and video-related activities appears to be associated with higher levels of body image and eating concerns, rather than a global time spent on social media (Sanzari et al., 2023;Zimmer-Gembeck et al., 2021).”

    From Relation Between Social Media Use and Body Image Concerns and Disordered Eating in Adolescence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2026) · cites this paper as Sanzari et al., 2023

    The Discussion and Conclusion report that exposure to weight-loss content was associated with poorer body image and disordered eating, while time spent on social media was generally unrelated to those outcomes. But the study examined undergraduate students, not adolescents, and does not establish that greater use of Instagram or TikTok itself was associated with greater concerns. The relevant distinction is content viewed versus time spent, not platform use versus time spent. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Sanzari, C. M., Gorrell, S., Anderson, L. M., Reilly, E. E., Niemiec, M. A., Orloff, N. C., Anderson, D. A., & Hormes, J. M.
Affiliations
  • State University of New York (US)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • University of Minnesota (US)
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (US)
  • University at Albany, State University of New York (US)
Corresponding author
Sanzari, Christina M.
ORCID
Venue
Eating Behaviors
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-04
Volume
49
Pages
101722
ISSN
1471-0153 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.eatbeh.2023.101722
PMC
PMC10363994
OpenAlex
W4362574866
Cited by
129
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 53 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 1
FWCI
37.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Eating Behaviors (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH123910, K23MH126201, K23MH131871)
  • National Science Foundation (1645421)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Keywords
social media use, body image, disordered eating, binge eating, image-based social media, COVID-19 pandemic, body appreciation, undergraduate students
MeSH terms
COVID-19, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Body Image, Humans, Pandemics, Social Media

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