{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T04:19:13Z","timestamp":1786594753820,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,8]],"date-time":"2025-01-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1736294400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Eating disorders (EDs) result from complex interactions of biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors, disproportionately affecting adolescents and young adults. Social media, peer pressure, and self-esteem issues contribute to ED prevalence. This study examines ED risk, eating behaviors, and self-esteem among individuals aged 16\u201325, exploring differences by gender, age, and social media usage. Methods: A total of 261 participants (113 high school students, 115 college students, 33 working individuals) completed the Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) between April and June 2024. This study utilized the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and My Eating Habits (MEH) questionnaires. Statistical analyses, including chi-square tests and linear regression, assessed associations between ED risk, self-esteem, and social media activity. Results: ED risk was identified in 47% (n = 123) of participants, with the highest prevalence in high school students (56.6%, n = 64). Significant gender differences were observed (p &lt; 0.001), with males in the high school group showing elevated ED risk (64%, n = 32). Body dissatisfaction and frequent social media comparisons increased ED risk (p &lt; 0.001); 45.7% (n = 102) of participants who often compared their bodies online reported heightened risk. Photo manipulation correlated with higher ED risk (p = 0.005). Regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between ED risk and restrictive dieting (estimate = 0.9239; p &lt; 0.001), while self-esteem had no significant effect (estimate = 0.00503, p = 0.977). Conclusions: This study highlights high ED risk driven by social media and body dissatisfaction. Interventions should focus on body image issues, self-acceptance, and media literacy. This study focused on a specific age group (16\u201325) in Poland, which may limit the ability to generalize the results to other demographic or cultural groups. Future research should include more diverse populations and objective measurements.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17020219","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,8]],"date-time":"2025-01-08T09:30:45Z","timestamp":1736328645000},"page":"219","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":20,"title":["The Impact of Social Media on Eating Disorder Risk and Self-Esteem Among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Psychosocial Analysis in Individuals Aged 16\u201325"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0142-2013","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sylwia","family":"Jaruga-S\u0119kowska","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Piekarska 18, 41-902 Bytom, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2420-5935","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wiktoria","family":"Sta\u015bkiewicz-Bartecka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Technology and Quality Evaluation, Department of Dietetics, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Jordana 19, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joanna","family":"Wo\u017aniak-Holecka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Piekarska 18, 41-902 Bytom, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), American Psychiatric Association Publishing.","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.books.9780890425596"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"755","DOI":"10.1002\/eat.23256","article-title":"Protect Me from My Selfie: Examining the Association between Photo-Based Social Media Behaviors and Self-Reported Eating Disorders in Adolescence","volume":"53","author":"Lonergan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Eat. Disord."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"516","DOI":"10.1002\/eat.22254","article-title":"Do You \u201cLike\u201d My Photo? 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