The Relationship Between Social Media Use and Body Dissatisfaction in Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Gender

Abstract

Previous research argues that social media use is related to higher rates of body dissatisfaction among female adolescents. However, little is known about whether male adolescents experience this to the same extent. The present cross-sectional study among 440 Dutch adolescents (aged 12-19; 53.1 % male) aimed to reduce this gap in knowledge. Results show that percentagewise, adolescent females make more use of social media and experience more body dissatisfaction than males. Further analysis showed social media use predicted increased body dissatisfaction. Gender did not significantly moderate the relationship between social media use and body dissatisfaction. Thus, regardless of their gender, adolescents experience body dissatisfaction. This may be related to social media use.