Spending too much time on Facebook linked to body image issues

Spending too much time on Facebook linked to body image issues

Participants were also asked about their body image and eating habits as well as their current weight, ideal weight, and class rank.

Spending too much time on Facebook can affect the way that a young woman feels about her body, according to a new study. The amount of time young women spend on Facebook seems to lower their sense of self-esteem.

Included in the study were 881 female college students, all of whom were surveyed. The participants responded to questions about their Facebook usage within the past month, such as how frequently they visited the site, the amount of time they spent on Facebook on average, and what their favorite activities were.

One example of a question the young women were asked on the survey is: “When looking at someone else’s photos on Facebook, how much attention do you pay to: 1) how they dress, and 2) their body?”

Participants were also asked about their body image and eating habits as well as their current weight, ideal weight, and class rank.

Although the average weight of the women in the study was 149 pounds, most of the participants wanted to weigh 20 pounds less than that weight. Many women saw their ideal weight as 130 pounds.

On average, the women spent around 80 minutes on Facebook every day. The study reports that some of the most popular activities include reading the news feed and browsing through photos.

Along with an increased amount of time on Facebook came a lower sense of self-esteem.

Study author Petya Eckler told U.S. News and World Report that, “Women tend to present their ideal self on Facebook, not necessarily their actual, true self.”

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