Social media and eating and body image concerns among men and boys

Social networking sites (SNS) are a ubiquitous form of communication across age and cultural groups. Compared to women, investigation into the relationship between SNS and eating and body image concerns among men is limited. Men and boys tend to engage with SNS that provide information, such as YouTube and Twitter. However, they also engage in appearance-based behaviors, such as editing and posting images to Instagram, often in the form of “selfies.” They may also seek out muscularity-related content and engage in SNS behaviors related to this preoccupation. Appearance-based SNS behaviors appear to confer the greatest risk for muscularity concerns and disordered eating. Those who engage in social comparison with other users in their network and seek out muscularity- and diet-related SNS content may be particularly vulnerable. Developers of SNS literacy interventions may consider adapting existing programs to better target the experience of eating and body image concerns as they present among boys and men. Clinicians may also assess how men and boys engage with SNS and appearance-based behaviors and whether these factors contribute or maintain eating disorder symptoms.