Social media use and body image in adolescence

Catharina's PhD project is associated with the large international WHO study Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC (external link)), and the Norwegian version of the study (HEVAS). The study was established in 1983 and is carried out every four years at secondary and upper secondary schools in Norway. The study aims to survey children’s and adolescent’s health habits, and includes questions about eating habits, physical activity, smoking, school well-being, support from teachers and fellow pupils, as well as the pupil’s health and well-being experiences. 

 The PhD project focuses specifically on body image in adolescence and investigates the connection between the use of social media and its effect on body image in adolescence. The project explores how an increased focus on self-presentation and social comparison on social media is connected to body image.