부산대학교 도서관

Some scholars suggest that social media use is negatively related to adolescents' wellbeing. A possible explanation for this negative relationship may be the internalization of professional, social, sexual and romantic ideals displayed in social media content, but research is largely missing. The present cross-sectional survey study among 1,983 Austrian, Belgian, Spanish and South Korean adolescents (aged 12-19, 50.3% boys) addressed this gap by studying the relationships between Facebook and Instagram use, the internalization of professional, social, sexual and romantic ideals and mental well-being. We found that Facebook use was positively related to the internalization of social and romantic ideals. Instagram use positively predicted the internalization of professional, social, sexual and romantic ideals. The internalization of sexual ideals was, in turn, related to a decreased mental well-being. Also a direct relationship emerged between Facebook use and mental well-being. Cross-national differences played an important role in the relationships between social media use, the internalization of ideals and mental well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]