Adolescents' Lived Experiences of Social Media on Perceived Body Image: A Qualitative Synthesis of Evidence

ABSTRACT

Adolescence is a transformational period in terms of the formation of identity and emotional development. Some quantitative research studies have attributed the growing instances of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviours in adolescents to the harmful standards perpetuated by social media. However, limited qualitative research has been conducted to consider adolescents' perspectives and lived experiences. This literature review aims to explore the lived experiences and perspectives of adolescents who use social media, and how social media is perceived as affecting body image. CINAHL, PubMed and MEDLINE were searched from 2013 to 2025 for qualitative studies investigating the impact of social media on adolescents' perceived body image. The quality of the included papers was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool for qualitative research. Seven studies were included in the review. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, which generated the themes of Identity and self‐perception, gendered experiences and Protective roles and external influences. This review found that participants in the included studies perceived unattainable beauty standards and societal pressures propagated by social media caused increased body dissatisfaction, self‐comparison and self‐objectification. For some participants, this consequently incurred disordered eating behaviours. It was concluded that adolescents frequently perceived social media use as having an adverse influence on their body image. Parents and school educators are key protective factors in mitigating this. Further research should be conducted to ascertain the potential for compassion‐focused interventions in school curricula and body‐positive content on social media, to improve adolescent body image and enhance media literacy.