The relationship between social media use, thin-ideal internalization, and college women's use of electronic...

Some college women report using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) for weight control. Social media frequently promotes e-cigarettes for weight management and reinforces unrealistic body ideals, which may foster body dissatisfaction and unhealthy weight control behaviors. Given college women's high rates of social media and e-cigarette use, this study examined the relationship between college women's social media use, thin-ideal internalization, and e-cigarette use for weight control.

College women (N = 343, M_age = 20.88) who used e-cigarettes for weight control reasons participated in an online survey that measured their social media use, levels of thin-ideal internalization, and e-cigarette use behaviors. Mediation analysis was performed to test whether thin-ideal internalization mediated the relationship between social media use and e-cigarette use for weight control.

Social media use positively predicted e-cigarette use for weight control purposes (B = 0.12, p < 0.001). Thin-ideal internalization fully mediated this relationship (indirect effect: B = 0.06, 95 % CI [.03, 0.10]) as the direct effect became non-significant when accounting for the mediator (direct effect: B = 0.06, p = 0.10). Greater social media use significantly increased thin-ideal internalization (B = 1.01, p < 0.001), which subsequently predicted greater e-cigarette use for weight control purposes (B = 0.06, p < 0.001).

Findings highlight that greater social media exposure among college women strengthens thin-ideal internalization, which drives e-cigarette use for weight control purposes. These findings signal the importance of regulating e-cigarette content on social media, as well as prevention efforts that address social media's thin-ideal content and promote body positivity.