Adolescent Body Acceptance in the Social Media : The Roles of Instagram Engagement, Peer Body Talk, and Media Literacy

In the age of visually oriented social media, apprehensions around adolescents’ body acceptance have intensified, especially with the increasing popularity of Instagram. Applying a moderated mediation model, this study examines the impact of Instagram engagement on adolescents’ body acceptance, with peer body talk serving as a mediator and media literacy as a moderator. Data were collected via an online survey of 400 Korean middle and high schoolers who were regular Instagram users and analyzed using SPSS Process Macro and hierarchical linear regression. Results showed that Instagram engagement had a negative total effect on body acceptance, and this relationship was fully mediated by peer body talk. In addition, media literacy moderated the negative impact of peer body talk on body acceptance, indicating that high levels of media literacy can offset this impact. Lastly, the conditional indirect effect—via peer body talk—of Instagram engagement on body acceptance varied depending on media literacy, confirming a moderated mediation effect. These findings are significant in highlighting the pivotal role of peer communication and media literacy in understanding the impact of visually oriented social media on adolescent body acceptance, suggesting an urgent need for educational interventions fostering critical media skills and body-positive peer discourse.