Research indicates a link between social media addiction and eating disorders. However, an ongoing debate persists regarding the mediating and/or moderating factors that may influence this relationship. Therefore, this study explored how body appreciation mediates the connection between social media addiction and eating disorders while also examining the moderating role of gender on this mediation effect. A total of 333 college students (Mage = 22.99; SDage = 2.95) participated in and completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Body Appreciation Scale, and a Demographic Information Form. Results from the moderated mediation analysis using Hayes's PROCESS Version 4.2 (Model 59) revealed that social media addiction was indirectly associated with eating disorder symptoms via body appreciation. Notably, this mediation effect was significant for women but not for men. This indicates that for women, excessive social media usage may contribute to disordered eating by undermining their positive body image. We discussed the implications of the findings for future research, as well as for interventions and prevention strategies aimed at educators and mental health professionals working with emerging adult women.
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