Digital Subjectivities and the Algorithmic Shaping of Body Ideals inHigh School Students

Adolescents’ engagement with social media profoundly shapes their perceptions of body image, contributing to the internalization of sociocultural appearance ideals. This study aimed to investigate the association between problematic social media use and the internalization of beauty standards among Italian high school students, focusing on gender differences. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 137 adolescents (aged 16–18) using two validated instruments: the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised (SATAQ-4R). Results revealed that 14.5% of participants exhibited addiction-like behaviors related to social media use, with higher prevalence among females. Female students reported stronger internalization of thinness ideals and greater perceived media pressure, while males showed higher internalization of muscular ideals and greater sensitivity to family-related appearance pressure. Correlation analyses indicated significant associations between problematic social media use and both internalization of appearance ideals and media pressures among females, whereas, among males, a significant correlation emerged only with family pressure. These findings highlight gender-specific pathways through which social media and algorithmic content curation shape adolescents’ body ideals, underscoring the importance of educational interventions promoting critical digital literacy and emotional resilience in youth.