Teens face body image crisis as social media fuels dissatisfaction globally

New research shows how platforms like YouTube and Snapchat amplify body dissatisfaction among youth, with sociodemographic factors adding to the challenge—highlighting the need for targeted global solutions.

Study: Body Weight Perceptions Among Youth From 6 Countries and Associations With Social Media Use: Findings From the International Food Policy Study. Image Credit: Kaspars Grinvalds / Shutterstock

In a recent study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers investigated the prevalence of body weight dissatisfaction among youth from several (n = 6) countries and its association with social media use and sociodemographics.

The study sample comprised 21,277 youth (ages = 10-17) cross-sectionally evaluated during the International Food Policy Study Youth Survey (2019-2020).

Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that 45% of participants were satisfied with their body size, while 35% of participants believed they were “larger than ideal,” and 20% thought they were “thinner than ideal,” with Chile (42%) and Mexico (22%) representing the worst affected, respectively.

Notably, screen time (social media) was positively associated with a greater likelihood of mild to severe perceived body weight dissatisfaction, with YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitch contributing most to these outcomes.

Background

Body image is a term used to describe individuals’ thoughts and feelings (perceptions) towards their own body, particularly their appearance. It is derived and molded by a complex amalgamation of biological, psychological, social, and cultural determinants.

Despite research in the field suggesting that negative body image is an international issue, studies have hitherto focused on adults and Western children, limiting the generalizability of their findings.

Social media consumption is rising at an unprecedented rate, with an estimated 5.17 billion current users, more than double the number just one decade ago. Youth represent a large proportion of social media consumers, with an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes of use daily.

Studies in adults suggest that social media can substantially impact perceived body image, with researchers hypothesizing that these impacts may be exacerbated in children. Unfortunately, evidence for the association between social media use and negative body image in children is scarce and confounding.

Furthermore, the influences of culture, sex, and age on negative body image in children and adolescents remain to be explored.

About the Study

The present study investigates the influences of sociodemographic correlates and social media use on body size perceptions in children and adolescents (10-17 years).

Study data was obtained across six countries – Australia, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), Chile, and the United States (US) – via the International Food Policy Study (IIFPS).

Data parameters of interest included time spent online, the type of appearance-based platforms used, age, sex, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, and family income.

Study data was collected in 2019 (n = 11,018) and 2020 (n = 12,031) via online surveys and included:

1. A modified version of the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale (for perceived and ideal body image evaluations),
2. Body dissatisfaction (measured using the difference between perceived body image and ideal body image scores),
3. Weight-related teasing questionnaires, and
4. Social media use (total duration and platform-specific use).

Additionally, statistical models were corrected using parent-provided sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, and perceived income adequacy).
Weight-related teasing, which emerged as a significant factor associated with body dissatisfaction, was also analyzed across countries.

Country-specific results were statistically analyzed using multinomial logistic regression models, revealing the relative and independent contributions of social media use and sociodemographic variables on body image dissatisfaction.

Study Findings

The study validated the assumption that body size dissatisfaction among children and adolescents is a global concern, with all evaluated countries depicting the condition, particularly for the “larger than ideal” self-perception.

Interestingly, size perception across countries shared similar traits; most notably, more than half of participants perceived themselves as small-medium in body size and considered small-medium the ideal body image.

Self-perception of “larger than ideal” (35%) depicts a slight country-specific variation (range – 33% [Australia and Canada] to 42% [Chile]). “Thinner than ideal” (20%) showed similar country-specific trends (range – 15% [Chile] to 22% [Mexico]).

While 15% of participants were moderately-severely dissatisfied with their self-perception of being “larger than ideal,” 6% shared the same level of dissatisfaction at being “thinner,” suggesting that the latter group requires attention in addition to the former.
Moreover, weight-related teasing was significantly associated with dissatisfaction, with nearly one-third of participants who experienced teasing reporting dissatisfaction across all countries.

A highlight of these analyses was that, despite being present, sociodemographic and personal experience variables were largely generalizable across assessed countries. For instance, females and individuals with higher BMIs were more likely to experience dissatisfaction, while those with perceived income adequacy (“more than enough money”) reported higher levels of satisfaction.

As expected, social media use was associated with dissatisfaction in both “larger than ideal” and “thinner than ideal” cohorts. YouTube and Snapchat were particularly associated with dissatisfaction related to “larger than ideal,” while dissatisfaction related to “thinner than ideal” was more strongly associated with Facebook and Twitch.

Conclusions

The present study is the first to compare body image-associated dissatisfaction among children and adolescents (n = 21,277) across several countries (n = 6).

It found that while sociodemographic variables (particularly age, sex, and income) altered perceptions of body image, these did not vary appreciably across countries, suggesting that these findings are globally generalizable.

Social media use was found to have a detrimental association with body image, with YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitch having the strongest impacts. Weight-related teasing emerged as another critical factor contributing to dissatisfaction, emphasizing the need for anti-bullying programs and support systems.

“…understanding of the relationship between social media use and body dissatisfaction among youth, particularly related to specific sites and understudied groups (eg, male youth and minority ethnicities) may help researchers develop more targeted and effective interventions.”