The Relationships Between Social Media Habits, Social Media Addiction, And Social Appearance Anxiety in Young Adults

Social media has become deeply embedded in daily life, with recent estimates indicating that 93–97% of adolescents use at least one platform for over three hours per day (Caner et al., 2022). Prior research has linked social media use to negative developmental outcomes, including anxiety symptoms, body image concerns, and internet addiction (Barry et al., 2017; Nesi & Prinstein, 2015; Pew Research Center, 2018; Söyünmez et al., 2024; Tiggemann & Slater, 2013; Vannucci et al., 2020). The present study examined the relationship between social media habits, social media addiction, and social appearance anxiety (SAA), with a particular focus on the moderating roles of gender identity and motivation for social media use. A sample of 119 undergraduate students (ages 18–23) completed a cross-sectional Qualtrics survey, which included both self-reported and objectively tracked social media usage data, as well as validated assessments of SAA, social media addiction, and general mental health symptoms (DASS). Results supported the hypothesis that self-reported social media use was significantly associated with higher social appearance anxiety, whereas objectively tracked usage and social media addiction were not significant predictors. Gender and general psychological distress were both significant predictors of SAA, consistent with previous findings. However, neither gender identity nor motivation significantly moderated the relationship between social media use and SAA. Contrary to expectations, the most commonly reported motivation for using social media was entertainment, not social interaction. These findings underscore the importance of subjective emotional engagement with social media over mere duration or frequency of use and highlight the need for further research on how content type, user motivation, and mental health intersect to influence appearance-related anxiety.<p></p>