Examining the effects of social media use on adolescents' body image perception

In this study, it was aimed to reveal the effect of social media use and other factors on adolescents' body image perception. The research sample consisted of 400 high school students with an average age of 14.8±0.7 years who were in the 9th and 10th grades in an Anatolian High School in Istanbul. Of these participants, 56.8% were girls and 43.3% were boys. Personal Information Form, Body Perception Scale, Social Media Appearance Perception Scale and Social Media Use Scale were used to collect data. According to the findings, it was observed that the body perception of the adolescents participating in the research was lower in girls than in boys, and they gave more importance to their appearance on social media than boys. Among the participants, it is observed that the body perceptions of those who use filters while sharing on social media are more negative, their perceptions about their appearance on social media are more negative and they use social media more. Participants who were disturbed by appearance comments had lower body perceptions and higher perceptions of their appearance on social media. A negative relationship was found between the participants' perception of appearance on social media and their body perception. According to this finding, it is concluded that adolescents who attach importance to their physical appearance on social media and care about looking attractive and beautiful have more negative body perception.