RCT | Reducing social media use improves appearance and weight esteem in youth with emotional distress

Summary: The article discusses a randomized controlled trial conducted on 220 participants aged 17-25 to examine the effects of reducing smartphone social media use (SMU) on appearance and weight esteem in youth with emotional distress. The participants were divided into an intervention group (limited to 1 hr/day SMU) and a control group (unrestricted SMU). The study found that reducing SMU improved appearance and weight esteem in the intervention group, while the control group showed no significant change. The authors concluded that reducing SMU may be a feasible and effective method of improving body image in a vulnerable youth population and should be evaluated as a potential component in treating body image-related disturbances. It is worth noting, however, that the impossibility of blinding participants and the subjective nature of the endpoints make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions on the subject.

Article: Reducing Social Media Use Improves Appearance and Weight Esteem in Youth With Emotional Distress – American Psychological Association

News Release: Reducing social media use significantly improves body image in teens, young adults – American Psychological Association

Commentary: How to help young people limit screen time — and feel better about how they look – NPR