Factors affecting body image perception, social media addiction, and social media consciousness regarding physical appearance in adolescents

Purpose: This study was conducted cross-sectionally with the aim of determining the factors affecting adolescents' Appearance Related Social Media Consciousness Scale, Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents and Body Image Scale scores and the extent to which social media addiction and body image perception predict social media consciousness scores.Design and methods: The population of this study consisted of adolescents between the ages of 12-18 years studying in the academic year 2022-2023. The study was completed with 1667 volunteer students. The Body Image Scale, Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents and Appearance Related Social Media Consciousness Scale were used to collect the data.Results: When the models were evaluated, it was determined that being female, increasing the time spent on the internet, sharing pictures frequently, using filters on pictures and being uncomfortable with the sharing of unfiltered pictures, and spending the most time on social media sites were strong predictors of Appearance Related Social Media Consciousness Scale, Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents and Body Image Scale scores. Conclusions: As a result, in our study, as adolescents' negative body image perception and social media addiction increased, social media consciousness about appearance increased.Practice implications: Nurses can determine risky groups according to the results of the study and organize trainings on body image perception, the effects of social media use and media literacy.