Self-esteem and social media addiction level in adolescents: The mediating role of body image

Abstract

Background: There are many studies examining the relationship between social media and self-esteem. Studies examining the relationships between the self-esteem, social media use, and body image of adolescents are limited in the literature. Aim: This study aimed to examine the relationship between self-esteem and social media addiction levels in adolescents and the mediating role of body image in the relationship between these two variables. Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 204 adolescents, 67 (32.8%) girls and 137 (67.2%) boys, with a mean age of 15.90 ± 1.20 years, who were high school students. The self-esteem levels of the participants were evaluated with the “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale”, their social media dependency levels were measured with the “Social Media Use Disorder Scale”, and their body images were measured using the “Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire”. Results: No significant relationship was found between the self-esteem levels of the participants and their ages or the education levels of their parents. There was a negative moderate significant relationship between the self-esteem levels of the participants and their social media addiction levels, and a positive moderate significant correlation was found between their self-esteem levels and body images. It was found that the social media addiction levels of the participants negatively predicted their self-esteem and body image levels. It was determined that body image had a partial mediator effect on the relationship between the social media addiction and self-esteem levels of the participants. Conclusion: Our results revealed that there is a negative correlation between self-esteem and social media addiction levels in adolescents. Body image has a partial mediating role in the relationship between social media addiction and self-esteem levels.

Social Media Effect on Personal Self-Esteem Among the Population in Saudi Arabia

“…We found that the level of education was not significantly associated with self-esteem among social media users. Our finding was consistent with the finding of Colak et al [ 13 ]. On the other hand, Özcan et al [ 25 ] showed that there was a significant relationship between education levels and the self-esteem levels of adolescents, and as the education levels increase, self-esteem levels also increase.…”

“…Many studies assessed the effect of social media on self-perception of body image. Colak et al [ 13 ] examined the relationship between self-esteem, social media addiction, and body image in high school students. There was a negative moderate relationship between self-esteem and social media addiction levels and a positive correlation between self-esteem and body image.…”

“…A similar finding was reported by Steinsbekk et al [ 24 ]. They found a significant gender-based difference: the impact of other-oriented social media use on appearance self-esteem was significant in girls but absent in boys [ 13 ].…”

“…Furthermore, research shows that people with low self-esteem spend more time using instant messaging rather than face-to-face communication because they find communicating with others through technology easier than face-to-face communication [ 12 ]. It is worth noting that addictive social media use has been linked to low self-esteem [ 4 , 13 ]. Furthermore, research has shown that individuals who spend more time on social media tend to engage in upward social comparison, a behavior that can have adverse effects, especially among young people [ 14 ].…”

Eating behaviours, social media usage, and its association: A cross-sectional study in Indian medical undergraduates

“…This could therefore lead to the development of eating disorders if not addressed on time. Our literature search found that abnormal eating behaviours were predominantly studied in children[ 2 ] and adolescents,[ 2 3 4 ] with limited studies done in the young adult population, university and college students with studies reporting 31% to 42% prevalence of abnormal eating behaviours. [ 5 6 7 ]…”