Date: June 2021

Student: Elva Lísa Sveinsdóttir

ID number: 261197-3329

B.Sc. in Psychology

Department of psychology

Social Media Usage and Its Effect on Adolescents Body

Image; Does The Effect Vary Across The Genders?

2

Foreword

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the BSc Psychology degree,

Reykjavik University, this thesis is presented in the style of an article for submission to a

peer-reviewed journal.

This thesis was completed in the Spring of 2021 and may therefore have been

significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The thesis and its findings should be

viewed in light of that

3

Abstract

Social media is a relatively new and a fast-changing development, its effects on adolescents´

body image is not well known. This reveals the importance of further research on this topic.

This study examined whether social media usage had any effect on adolescent´s body image

and if there was any difference between the genders in regard to these effects. The

participants of the study were Icelandic elementary students in 8th to 10th grade. All

participants answered the questionnaire from the Icelandic Centre for Social Research &

Analysis (ISCRA) anonymously. A total of 10.563 participants answered the questionnaire

and a convenience sample of 2087 participants was used for the current study. The gender

distribution was nearly equal with 1043 females and 1018 males. For statistical analysis an

independent samples t-test, Univariate Analysis of Variance and a Chi-Square test were

conducted. The results showed that the most used social media platform between the genders

was visual based social media such as Snapchat, where the message, photo or video

disappears after reading. The results also revealed that females spent significantly more time

on social media than males, and that females had significantly worse body image than males.

Keywords: Social media, adolescents, body image, gender

Útdráttur

Þar sem vettvangur samfélagsmiðla er tiltölulega nýr og fer ört vaxandi, eru áhrif þeirra á

líkamsímynd ungmenna ekki enn nægilega vituð. Þetta ýtir undir mikilvægi á frekari

rannsóknum á þessu málefni. Þessi rannsókn skoðaði hvort samfélagsmiðlanotkun hafði áhrif

á líkamsímynd ungmenna og hvort um væri að ræða kynjamun í tengslum við þessi áhrif.

Þátttakendur rannsóknarinnar voru íslenskir grunnskólanemendur í áttunda til tíunda bekk.

Þátttakendur svöruðu spurningarlista frá Rannsóknum og greiningu og var könnunin

nafnlaus. Heildarþátttaka var 10.563 og var notað slembiúrtak með 2087 þátttakendum í

þessari rannsókn. Dreifing kynjanna var nokkuð jöfn með 1043 konum og 1018 körlum. Fyrir

tölfræðiúrvinnslu voru keyrð óháð t-próf, kí kvaðrat próf og margvíð dreifigreining.

Niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar sýndu að bæði kynin notuðu mest samfélagsmiðla eins og

Snapchat, þar sem skilaboð, myndir eða myndbönd hverfa eftir lestur. Niðurstöðurnar sýndu

einnig að konur eyddu marktækt meiri tíma á samfélagsmiðlum en karlar og að konur væru

með marktækt verri líkamsímynd en karlar.

Lykilorð: Samfélagsmiðlar, ungmenni, líkamsímynd, kyn

4

Social Media Usage and Its Effect on Adolescents Body Image; Does The Effect Vary

Across The Genders?

Social media applications (e.g., Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook or Twitter) recruits

mobile technologies which allows its users to share photos, videos, statuses about their lives,

keep connection with friends and family, send messages and much more (Kietzmann et al.,

2011; Stec, 2020). Research shows that adolescents are the keenest users of social media

(Cotton et al., 2011). Today, adolescent´s lives evolve around digital technologies and social

media whereas it has become a part of their everyday lives (Allen et al., 2014), and it is safe

to say that this generation does not know a life without social media and mobile technology

(Cotton et al., 2011). Alhabash and Ma (2017) found that visual based social media, such as

Instagram and Snapchat, are growing rapidly among adolescents and young adults, especially

among females (Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2015). According to Pew Internet

and American Life Project (2015), 92% of adolescents around the age of 13-17 years are

online daily and 71% use multiple social media applications. Several studies have shown that

heavy social media usage has a significant relation to poorer mental health (Marino et al.,

2017; Shakya & Christakis, 2017; Hou et al., 2019) and body dissatisfaction (Burnette et al.,

2017; Fardouly et al., 2017). Perloff’s transactional model of social media and body image

concerns predicts that social media sites or social media behavior inspired by appearance

ideals, can have negative effects on body image (Perloff, 2014a; Perloff, 2014b).

Social media is relatively new and a fast-changing development therefor its effects on

body image is not well understood (Burnette et al., 2017). Because of the increased social

media usage among adolescents, it is very important to study the effects social media can

have on adolescents´ body image.

Body image is an individual’s inner perceptions of their own appearance (Singh et al.,

2015). Body image can be affected by perceptions, point of view and experiences. Body

5

image can also be linked to one´s self-esteem. Flawed perceptions of one´s body image can

encourage adolescents to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors and increase the likelihood of

having low self-esteem (Makinen et al., 2012; Singh et al., 2015). It is important to

understand what the influences of a flawed body image can have, especially on adolescents

whereas adolescence is a period in life where the individual is especially sensitive.

Adolescence is the time when individuals go through puberty and their body goes through

many changes (i.e., their biological, cognitive, psychological and social characteristics

change), (Makinen et al., 2012).

Alhabash and Ma (2017) carried out a cross-sectional survey on social media. They

asked their participants how much time a day approximately they spent on social media and

what their reasons were as to why they used social media. The results showed that the most

used social media platform among the participants was Instagram (108,73 min), then

Snapchat (107,15 min), Facebook (106,35 min) and Twitter (88,92 min). The reasons

participants agreed to as why they spent their time on these platforms were multiple and

included connection (such as “keeping in touch”) or entertainment and self-documentation or

self-expression (e.g., express, make or present oneself as more popular), (Alhabash & Ma,

2017). Another study done in Turkey showed similar results about both, which platform was

most used among young adults and reasons why they used them (Kircaburun et al., 2020).

These results are consistent with Pew Internet and American Life Project (2015), that visual

based social media (such as Instagram and Snapchat) are growing rapidly, especially among

females. These results also promote Perloff´s (2014a; 2014b) theory, whereas the participants

mention social media behavior inspired by appearance ideals to be one of the main reasons to

use these platforms. Perloff (2014a; 2014b) found that social media behavior inspired by

appearance ideals can lead to body dissatisfaction.

6

Body dissatisfaction, a personal judgement of one´s body, is a major part of body

image disturbance (Presnell et al., 2004). As earlier studies have shown, has body

dissatisfaction been linked to depression and the risks of poor clinical outcomes, especially

unhealthy eating behaviors (Keel et al., 1997; Presnell et al., 2004; McCreary & Sasse, 2000).

A cross-sectional study done in Finland in 2003-2004, focused on body dissatisfaction

and its relationship with self-esteem, body mass and eating habits in adolescents (Makinen et

al., 2012). To measure body dissatisfaction, they used the Body Dissatisfaction subscale.

Greater scores on the scale indicated lower satisfaction with their body. To measure body

mass, participant´s heights and weights were measured, then the BMI scale (body mass index

scale) was used to review the level of extra body weight. Lastly, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem

scale was used to measure self-esteem where greater score meant higher level of self-esteem.

The results of the study showed that girls experienced greater body dissatisfaction (M = 30.6)

than boys (M = 18.9). The average BMI value was the same for both boys and girls (BMI =

20.3 kg/m2). Both boys and girls reported being mostly satisfied with their bodies when they

were under the average weight and expressed most dissatisfaction when they were over

average weight or had extra body weight. Lastly, boys scored higher on the self-esteem scale

(M = 31.3) than girls (M = 28.0). Even so, body dissatisfaction and self-esteem were

negatively correlated for both genders, yet it was more negatively correlated among girls.

This study gives great results about body dissatisfaction and self-esteem however it does not

connect those two to social media usage. It is possible to hypothesize that if compared to

social media usage, the results would be the same.

Social media is growing rapidly (Alhabash & Ma, 2017) and its effects on body image

is not well known. Therefor the aim of this study is to examine if body dissatisfaction is

related to growing social media usage among adolescents and to identify if social media has

different effects on body image between the genders.

7

The findings from the above mentioned studies give purpose to believe that social

media has dominant effects on adolescent´s body image and show that social media usage is

connected to pessimistic results, such as body dissatisfaction and faulty body image. Makinen

et al., (2012) showed that body dissatisfaction and self-esteem were more negatively

correlated among females and Pew Internet and American Life Project (2015) found that

social media usage is growing more rapidly especially among females. These results and the

fact that social media has become a part of our everyday lives and are increasing in usage

among adolescents, shows the importance of further research on this topic.

Based on above mentioned findings, it is first hypothesized that social media usage

influences adolescent´s body image. Secondly, it is hypothesized that there is a gender

difference in regard to these effects and that the effects are worse among females than males.

Method

Participants

The participants of this study were adolescents in 8th to 10th grade in Iceland which

attended to school the day the study was implemented. Each student who attended school the

day the study was implemented answered the questionnaire. The total number of participants

was 10.563 and the total response ratio was 84%, however for this study a participant´s

sample of 2087 was taken with convenience from the total population and used for the

analysis. The gender distribution was nearly equal with 1043 females and 1018 males.

The questionnaires were sent to all elementary schools in Iceland and teachers in each

class handed them out to their students, all at the same time. With every questionnaire came

an empty envelope which participants put the questionnaire in after finishing answering it.

The students were given instructions not to wright their names or social security number on

either the envelope or the questionnaire. This was to prevent the availability to trace the

8

answers back to the students whereas this was an untraceable research. Participants were also

asked to answer each question with their best intentions and raise their hands if they needed

any help.

Measures

Questionnaire.

The material used in this study was a questionnaire from the Icelandic Centre for

Social Research & Analysis (ISCRA), Ungt fólk 2018 (Pálsdóttir et al., 2018). Professionals

in social science assembled the questionnaire and made sure that it had good validity and

reliability and that the results were consistent. The questionnaire contained 83 questions on

30 pages.

Two questions regarding social media, one computed variable with seven sub-

questions (all regarding body image) and one question regarding gender, were used in the

present study. The dependent variable was the computed variable body image, and the

independent variables were the two questions regarding social media and gender.

Gender. Gender was on a two-point nominal scale “Male” or “female”. For statistical

analysis “male” was coded with 1 and “female” was coded with 2.

Social media. Two questions regarding social media were used. One question asked,

“How much time a day approximately do you spend on social media” and the answer options

were eight and on ordinal scale. They were as follows: “Nearly no time”, “1/2-1 hour”,

“Around 1 hour”, “Around 2 hours”, “Around 3 hours”, “Around 4 hours”, “Around 5 hours”

and “Around 6 hours or more”. To make the statistical analysis process easier and more

understanding, the answer options were coded together into four groups as follows: 1 =

“nearly no time”, 2 = “around half an hour to one hour”, 3 = “around two hours to three

hours”, 4 = “four hours or more”. The second question asked how often a day participants did

the following: “Talk, send messages, photos or videos which disappear after reading”. The

9

answer options were seven and on ordinal scale, they were as follows: “Never”, “1x a month

or less”, “1x a week”, “few times a week”, “1x daily”, “2-5 times daily” and “6 times or more

daily”. These seven answer options were coded together into three groups in SPSS to make

the statistical analysis process easier: 1 = “never to 1x in a month”, 2 = “1x in a week to 1x a

day” and 3 = “2x-6x or more a day”.

Body image. To form the dependent variable seven sub-questions, which all assessed

body image, were computed together. The questions were taken from the Body and Self-

Image subscale of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ), (Offer, Ostrov & Howard,

1977). Participants were asked to answer how the following statements applied to them. The

statements were “When I think about how I will look in the future I am happy”, “I often feel

ugly and unattractive”, “I am happy with my body”, “I am happy with my bodily changes that

have occurred over the past few years”, “I feel strong and healthy”, “I am happy with my

life” and “I am happy”. The answer options were on Likert scale and coded with 1 =

“describes me very well”, 2 = “describes me somewhat”, 3 = “does not describe me well

enough” and 4 = “does not describe me at all”. For the computed variable, the Cronbach´s

Alpha reliability test showed that the reliability was (α) = 0.719, which is considered high.

Procedure

This study was a cross-sectional study administered by the Icelandic Centre for Social

Research & Analysis (ISCRA), (2018), and materials were gathered with questionnaires.

Before starting analysis of the datal, permission was gotten from the Scientific Ethics

Committee.

Before the study was implemented, all parents and/or caregivers of the students got a

notification letter where they were notified about the research and asked to let know if they

did not want their child to participate. The letter also mentioned how the data from the study

may be used if the participation would be successful. All teachers handed out the

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questionnaires to their students at the same time. Participants were elementary students in 8th

to 10th grade in Iceland who attended to school that specific day. Participants were notified in

a notification letter at the front of the questionnaire that they were not obligated to participate,

wished they not to, however every student who attended school that day answered the

questionnaire. With each questionnaire came an envelope where participants put the

questionnaire in after they had finished answering them. Participants were given strong

information not to write their name or social security number on either the questionnaire or

the envelope. This was to prevent the availability to trace the answers back to the students.

Participants were asked to answer each question with their best intentions and to raise their

hand if they needed any help.

This study was a population study which means that the goal was to reach as many

people as possible in the statistical population. This was done by submitting the questionnaire

for all adolescents who attended school that specific day. For this reason, the reliability for

this questionnaire was good (Pálsdóttir et al., 2018). Since ISCRA send out this questionnaire

with upgrades every year and their results are consistent, the validity is high.

Data analysis

The statistical package for the social sciences (e. SPSS) version 27, was used for the

analysis of the data. Tables and figures were set up in Word and Excel. Descriptive statistics

were set up to see the mean scores and standard deviation score for all the variables. To

examine the relationship between gender and social media a Chi-Square test was applied.

Furthermore, to see the differences between the genders on Body Image, an independent

samples t-test was conducted. Lastly, to compare all the variables together (Body Image,

social media and gender), Univariate Analysis of Variance was applied. All assumptions for

the independent samples t-test and the Univariate Analysis of Variance were met.

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Results

The main purpose of this study was to examine if time spent on social media had any

effects on adolescents´ body image and to see if there was a gender difference in regard to

these effects. The gender distribution in this study was nearly equal, with 50.0% females (N =

1043) and 48.8% males (N = 1018), 26 did not give up their gender. The descriptive statistics

showed that the mean for the dependent variable body image was 14.53 (M = 14.53, SD =

3.83), with the minimum of 7.00 and maximum of 29.00. The descriptive statistics for the

first social media variable, time spent on social media, was 2.722 (M = 2.722, SD = 0.867),

with the minimum of 1 and maximum of 4. Females had higher mean score for time spent on

social media (M = 2.892, SD = 0.830) than males (M = 2.536, SD = 0.867). This indicates

that females spent more time on social media than males. The mean for the second social

media variable (talking, sending messages, photos or videos that disappear after reading) was

2.436 (M =2.436, SD = 0.773), with the minimum of 1 and maximum of 3. Again, females

had higher mean score (M = 2.589, SD = 0.682) than males (M = 2.276, SD = 0.830),

suggesting that females sent more often messages, photos or videos on visual based social

media than males.

Whereas the social media variables and the gender variable were classify variables a

Chi-Square test was conducted to see the connection between social media and gender. The

descriptive statistics indicated that females spent more time on social media than males and

that females sent more messages, photos or videos on visual based social media than males.

Seeing that the social media questions were two, two crosstabulations with the Chi-Square

results will be presented in two separated tables below. Table 1 represents the results for the

variable concerning visual based social media (talking, sending messages, photos or videos

that disappear after reading).

Table 1

12

A Crosstabulation for Gender and Talking, Sending Messages, Photos or Videos that

Disappear After Reading with Chi-Square Test Results

Count

Never to

1x a month

1x a week

to 1x a day

2x-6x a day

or more

Asymptotic Significance

Gender Males

Females

224

110

215

184

477

689

<0.001

Table 1 presents the count for the gender in regard to how often a day males and

females sent messages, photos or videos that disappeared after reading (visual based social

media), and the significance value from the Chi-Square test results. As can be seen in Table

1, the count suggests that females sent more often messages, photos or videos on visual based

social media than males whereas 689 females and 477 males sent such messages 2x-6x times

a day or more. The Chi-Square test (Asymptotic Significance) confirmed this difference

whereas the p value was less than 0.05 (P < 0.001).

Another crosstabulation with Chi-Square results was set up to see the difference

between the genders in regard to time spent on social media. These results are presented in

table 2 below.

Table 2

A Crosstabulation for Gender and Time spent on Social Media with Chi-Square Test Results

Count

Nearly no

time

Around

half an

hour to

one hour

Around

two to

three hours

Around

four hours

or more

Asymptotic

Significance

13

Gender Males

Females

85

29

407

315

285

384

148

265

<0.001

Table 2 presents the count for the genders in regard to time spent on social media and

the significance value from the Chi-Square test results. Table 2 shows that females have a

higher count for spending around four hours or more on social media (265) than males (148),

suggesting that females spent more time on social media than males. The Chi-Square test

(Asymptotic Significance) confirmed this difference whereas the p value was less than 0.05

(P < 0.001).

To see if there was a gender difference in regard to body image an independent

samples t-test was conducted. The group statistics from the t-test results showed that females

had higher mean (M = 15.172, SD = 3.859) than males (M = 13.808, SD = 3.645). Whereas

higher scores on the body image scale indicates worse body image, these results suggest that

females have worse body image than males. The results from the t-test revealed that there

was a significant difference between the genders confirming that females have worse body

image than males (t(1880) = -7.859, P < 0.001).

To compare social media, body image and gender all together a Univariate Analysis

of Variance test was conducted. The descriptive statistics from the Univariate analysis were

consistent with the results from both the Chi-Square test and the independent samples t-test

and showed that females had worse body image than males, spent more time on social media

and were more frequent users of visual based social media platforms than males. Table 3

consists of means for gender, time spent on social media and visual based social media (talk,

send messages, photos or videos that disappear after reading), with body image being the

dependent variable.

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Table 3

Estimated Means of Gender, Time Spent on Social Media and Talking, Sending Messages,

Photos or Videos that Disappear After Reading, for the Dependent Variable Body Image

Independent

variables

Mean

95% Confidence Interval

Lower Bound Upper Bound

Gender: Males

Females

14.130

15.365

13.839

15.060

14.421

15.670

Visual based social

media:

Never to 1x a month

1x a week to 1x a

day

2x-6x times a day or

more

14.581

15.032

14.630

14.150

14.618

14.327

15.012

15.447

14.932

Time spent on social

media:

Nearly no time

Around half an hour

to one hour

Around two to three

hours

Around four hours

or more

15.042

13.959

14.277

15.713

14.281

13.670

13.937

15.295

15.802

14.248

14.618

16.130

15

The Univariate Analysis of Variance test results in table 3 above suggested that

females (M = 15.365) had worse body image than males (M = 14.130) and that more time

spent on social media raised the mean for body image (indicating worse body image). The

Post Hoc test results revealed that there was not a significant difference for visual based

social media (sending messages, photos or videos that disappear after reading), (F(2, 22.790)

= 1.655; P = 0.191). This shows that it did not make any difference in regard to body image,

whether the participants sent more or less messages, photos or videos on visual based social

media. However, the Post Hoc test revealed a significant difference for time spent on social

media (F(3, 257.180) = 18.672; P < 0.001) and gender (F(1, 657.357) = 47.727; P < 0.001)

regarding body image. These results confirm that the more time the participants spent on

social media, the worse was their body image and that there was a gender difference in regard

to these effects on body image, showing that females had worse body image than males. The

R squared from the Tests of Between-Subject Effects from the Univariate Analysis of

Variance test was 0.063 meaning that time spent on social media, sending messages, photos

or videos on visual based social media and gender, explain 63% in body image.

To make the results from the Univariate Analysis of Variance test more visual, they

were set up in a figure. The results can be seen in figure 1.

Figure 1

Univariate Analysis of Variance; Gender Difference for Estimated Marginal Means for Body

Image from Time Spent on Social Media

16

Figure 1 shows the estimated means for Body Image in regard to time spent on social

media, that is, the more time the participants spent on social media, the higher mean for body

image. As mentioned above, greater mean score indicates worse body image. As figure 1

shows, females spent more time on social media than males thus had higher mean score for

body image, confirming that time spent on social media has dominant effects on adolescent´s

body image and that there is a gender difference regarding these effects.

Discussion

The aim of this study was to examine whether social media usage had any effects on

adolescents’ body image and if there was a gender difference in regard to these effects.

Whereas the first hypothesis was that social media effected adolescents´ body image it was

thought best to start and see if there was a connection between social media and the genders.

Whereas those two variables were both classify variables, a Chi-Square test was thought to

present the best results. The Chi-Square test suggested that there was a connection between

the two variables whereas it showed a significant difference for the two social media

questions to the genders. Since these results suggested that there was a gender difference

when it came to social media, they were in line with former studies. As mentioned above,

Alhabash and Ma (2017), American Life Project (2015) and Kirckaburun et al., (2020) said

14,32

15,57

13,47

14,72

13,81

15,0615,24

16,49

13,0

14,0

15,0

16,0

17,0

Males Females

Mea

ns

for

Bod

y I

mage

in R

egard

s to

Tim

e S

pen

t on

So

cial

Med

ia

Gender

Estimated Marginal Means of Body Image

Time spent on social media

Nearly no time

Around half an hour to one hour

Around two to three hours

Around four hours or more

17

that social media usage, particularly visual based social media platforms, are growing rapidly

and especially among females.

Since the Chi-Square results suggested a difference between the genders in regard to

social media usage and it was hypothesized that there would be a gender difference regarding

body image (that the effects would be more severe among females), an independent samples

t-test was applied. Makinen et al., (2012) mentioned in their study that females generally

have worse body image than males. The independent samples t-test results from this study

suggested that there was a gender difference in regard to body image and that females had

significantly worse body image than males, supporting the results from Makinen et al.,

(2012).

Lastly, a Univariate Analysis of Variance test was applied to compare all three

variables together, social media, body image and gender. As mentioned above, research had

shown strong relations between adolescents´ social media usage and poorer mental health

(Marino et al., 2017; Shakya & Christakis, 2017; Hou et al., 2019) and body dissatisfaction

(Burnette et al., 2017; Fardouly et al., 2017). The results from the Post Hoc test revealed that

there was no significant difference for the variable send messages, photos or videos which

disappear after reading. This showed that it did not make any difference in regard to body

image whether participants sent more or less messages, photos or videos on visual based

social media platforms. However, the Post Hoc results from the Univariate Analysis of

Variance test showed a significant difference for both gender and time spent on social media

in regard to body image. This showed that there was a gender difference in regard to time

spent on social media, confirming that females spent significantly more time on social media

than males. The results also showed that there was a gender difference in regard to body

image, confirming that females have worse body image than males. From these results it was

possible to confirm both the first and second hypothesis, that time spent on social media has

18

dominant effects on adolescent´s body image and that there is a gender difference in regard to

these effects.

The strengths to the current study were that it was a cross-sectional study with a large

convenience sample with equal gender distribution. The tolerance of the results was small

whereas all participants had the same likelihood to be chosen. For this reason and because the

questions came from reliable questionnaires (Offer, Ostrov & Howard, 1977), the reliability

for the questionnaire was considered good. The validity was also considered good whereas

the Icelandic Centre for Social Research & Analysis (ISCRA), (2018) send out this

questionnaire with upgrades every year and their results are consistent. However, there were

some limitations to the study. The data were self-reported answers on a questionnaire, and it

is likely that the participants either under- or overestimated their time spent on social media

or their body image. It should also be considered that maybe the participants did not realize

how much time they spend on average a day on social media thus they could have been

guessing their answer. Also, there were no questions on the questionnaire that asked in

specifics what the participants spent their time doing on social media. The questions

regarding social media were very limited. This could explain the difference between the

genders whereas their interests can be different and they could be spending their time on

social media in a lot of different ways. As well, social media is continually changing, for

example, there is now a new platform called TikTok which is one of the most famous social

media platforms today and its users are even younger. The questionnaire did not contain

questions regarding these new platforms. It is also important to consider that the participants

could not have understood every question to the fullest and not asked for help.

Despite the limitations from the current study, future studies should continue to do

research on this matter. Body image is a factor that can easily be manipulated and has been

linked to one´s self-esteem (Singh et al., 2015). Flawed perceptions about one’s body image

19

can encourage adolescents to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors and increase the

likelihood of having low self-esteem. Body dissatisfaction has been described as a personal

judgement of one´s body and former studies have linked body dissatisfaction to mental health

issues such as depressions and unhealthy eating behaviors (Keel et al., 1997; Presnell et al.,

2004; McCreary & Sasse, 2000). Future studies should also include factors such as body

dissatisfaction, self-esteem and social comparisons among adolescents and its effects on their

mental health, as well as the new social media platforms.

Given that social media is a fast-growing platform that is becoming a part of normal

everyday life and its users are getting younger and younger, emphasizes the importance of

this study and other future studies on this matter.

20

References

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Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat Among College Students? Sagepub, 1-13.

DOI:10.1177/2056305117691544

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