Social media and disordered eating in Spanish adolescents: Clusters of platform use and network analysis

Maladaptive social media use is a potential risk factor for eating disorders. While several studies have linked certain platforms to social comparison and self-presentation, no research is available considering co-use of multiple platforms. Moreover, the identification of those social media behaviors more linked to disordered eating remains underexplored. The aims of this study were to examine (1) how Spanish adolescents cluster according to the platforms they use and whether these clusters differ in disordered eating symptoms, and (2) the network relationships between disordered eating symptoms and (a) specific social media behaviors and (b) indicators of Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU). 4711 adolescents aged 11 to 18 years participated in a nationwide study, completing measures on disordered eating and social media use. Cluster analysis with the Partitioning Around Medoids algorithm, Generalized Linear Models controlling for age and sex, and network analyses with MGM and EBICglasso estimators, were conducted. Six distinct clusters were identified. Adolescents who only used WhatsApp and YouTube reported significantly lower disordered eating symptoms than those who also used TikTok, Instagram and other platforms (d = -0.24 to -0.46). Users of WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram reported significantly fewer symptoms than those who also used Twitch (d = -0.16). Upward social comparison and appearance-related concern in social media, as well as its use to forget problems, presented the highest bridge expected influence with disordered eating symptoms. These findings help identify combinations of platforms and cognitive and behavioral processes in social media, including maladaptive coping, that are more linked to disordered eating, which may be relevant for prevention.