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“Why don’t I look like her?” How adolescent girls view social media and its connection to body image

Adolescent girls appear more vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties from social media use than boys. The presence of sexualized images online is thought to contribute, through increasing body dissatisfaction among adolescent girls.

Citation:
Papageorgiou A, Fisher C, Cross D. “Why don’t I look like her?” How adolescent girls view social media and its connection to body image. BMC Women's Health. 2022;22(1).

Keywords:
Adolescence; Appearance comparisons; Body image; Instagram; awareness; body dissatisfaction; controlled study; education; health promotion; mental health; social media

Abstract:
Adolescent girls appear more vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties from social media use than boys. The presence of sexualized images online is thought to contribute, through increasing body dissatisfaction among adolescent girls.