Research shows cyberbullying drives teenage girls to undergo cosmetic surgery

According to research by UniSC, adolescent girls are more likely to feel ashamed of their bodies, more likely to feel the need to change their appearance and more likely to suffer from symptoms of an eating disorder. published in the Journal of Eating Disorders.

Taliah Prince, a neuroscientist at the University of the Sunshine Coast, said the findings were concerning, as appearance-based cyberbullying is the most common form of cyberbullying among adolescent females.

“We found that 98% of female adolescents surveyed had experienced cyberbullying and that most of these incidents were appearance-related, with them being teased or insulted because of their body weight, body shape or physical features,” said Ms Prince.

“Over 96% of victims of appearance-based cyberbullying reported wanting to change their appearance, which can lead to harmful behaviors such as extreme dieting and excessive exercise. However, 81% felt the need to change their appearance through cosmetic surgery.”

Ms Prince, a PhD candidate at UniSC’s Thompson Institute, said this is the first study to comprehensively examine the effects of appearance-related cyberbullying on girls’ mental health and wellbeing.

“This is important because eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders among adolescent girls, and body dissatisfaction is the greatest risk factor for eating disorders,” Ms. Prince said.

“Because appearance-related cyberbullying is linked to body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms, we need to understand its prevalence and impact and how it may contribute to these serious mental health conditions.”

The findings highlight the profound effects of appearance-based cyberbullying at a vulnerable time in brain development.

She said it underscores the urgent need for guardians, teachers and policymakers to be aware of the dangers young women face online and what they can do to intervene.

“There needs to be more education about what our young people are exposed to, targeted interventions, prevention strategies and restrictions around social media, especially as some adolescents spend seven hours a day on digital devices,” she said.

“Digital literacy is so important. We need to teach our young children what they are going to see online, how to process the content they receive, how to report negative things they come across, and how to navigate the digital world safely.

“It is critical to promote open communication about cyberbullying and body image, and to implement age-appropriate social media guidelines and support health promotion programs that encourage positive online behaviors and body image.”

Ms. Prince now turns her attention to the neurobiological effects of appearance-related cyberbullying on adolescent girls.

“Neuroscience is still fairly new in this area. There is only one study that has looked at real-time experiences of cyberbullying in young adults, but nothing specifically about appearance-related cyberbullying in adolescents,” she said.