Investigating bidirectional relationships between Instagram "addiction" and eating disorder symptoms

Social media use has been implicated in the development and maintenance of eating disorder (ED) symptoms, yet most existing research has focused on general social media engagement rather than addictive patterns of use. This study expands that work by examining Instagram-a widely used social media platform-and the role of Instagram addiction, defined as a compulsive and dysregulated pattern of engagement, in ED symptoms. Additionally, prior research has largely assumed that social media use precedes ED symptoms, despite the theoretical plausibility of a bidirectional relationship. This study aimed to examine prospective, bidirectional associations between Instagram addiction and core ED symptoms.

A prospective study was conducted with 1710 adult women (M = 33.76 years; SD = 9.25, range = 18-80) recruited from an online self-help platform for EDs. Participants completed self-report measures of Instagram addiction, binge eating severity, inflexible dieting, and overvaluation of weight and shape. Cross-lagged panel models were estimated to assess bidirectional associations at Time 1 (T1; baseline) and Time 2 (T2; 3-month follow-up).

Significant, positive, and bidirectional relationships were observed between Instagram addiction and both binge eating and inflexible dieting. In contrast, only a unidirectional association was found between T1 overvaluation and T2 Instagram addiction.

These findings provide novel evidence of potential feedback loops between specific ED symptoms and Instagram addiction. Results highlight the importance of integrating strategies to address problematic Instagram use within ED prevention and treatment efforts.