Women who spend a lot of time on Facebook may have declining body image

STRATHCLYDE, Scotland, April 10 (UPI) -- Young women who spend lots of time studying "selfies" and comparing themsleves to social media photographs may be more insecure about their bodies than if they were reading magazines or other mass media.

Petya Eckler of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, said friends' photos might be more difficult to live up to because the people are known in person in live close by compared to celebrities who might live half a world away.

“The attention to physical attributes may be even more dangerous on social media than on traditional media because participants in social media are people we know," Eckler told the BBC.

Researchers at the University of Strathclyde, Ohio University and University of Iowa surveyed 881 U.S. female college students on their technology use, eating, exercise and body image.

The study, presented at the 64th annual International Communication Association Conference in Seattle, found no link with eating disorders, but found a link between social network time and negative body image.

[BBC]