What was causing what? Adolescents’ social networking site use and body dissatisfaction

To investigate the relationship between Chinese adolescents’ use of social networking sites and body dissatisfaction, we conducted a survey with 605 students at two time points spaced 8 months apart. Participants completed the Social Networking Site Use Intensity Questionnaire and the body areas satisfaction subscale of the Multidimensional Body–Self Relations Questionnaire. The results revealed that social networking site use was significantly associated with body dissatisfaction at both time points. Further, the cross-lagged effect of social networking site use on body dissatisfaction was significant, and vice versa. Finally, the cross-lagged effect of social networking site use and body dissatisfaction did not differ significantly by gender. Our findings not only provide a reference for the relationship between Chinese adolescents’ social networking site use and body dissatisfaction but also provide substantial evidence for standardizing adolescents’ social networking site use and reducing body dissatisfaction.