The moderating roles of social comparison in the relationship between Instagram reels use and mental health outcomes: a cross-sectional study in Oman

This study tested whether upward social comparison moderates the link between Instagram Reels use and mental health. In a cross‑sectional online survey of 2,285 adults in Oman (mean age 22.6 years; 76.5% female), participants completed Arabic versions of validated anxiety, well-being and social comparison scores. Hierarchical regressions (controlling for age and gender) showed that greater Reels engagement was associated with higher anxiety and lower well‑being. Social comparison moderated the Reels-anxiety association, adding a very small amount of explained variance (ΔR² ≈ 0.002); no moderation was detected for well‑being. Female participants reported higher anxiety. These findings suggest that algorithmic, visually curated feeds coupled with upward comparison may elevate anxiety. Implications include integrating brief social‑media comparison checks into clinical encounters, and culturally tailored media‑literacy efforts to reduce exposure to highly idealised content and promote healthier engagement.