Social and Digital Media Use in Children and Adolescents: Appearance-based Interventions and Policy Evaluations

Children and adolescents are developing within a digital ecosystem in which social and digital media are embedded in daily life. Concerns about the impacts of these media, especially social media, on youth well-being have escalated to the point where several countries (e.g., Australia) have implemented or proposed laws restricting social media use among under-16s. To date, these concerns have focused mainly on depression and anxiety, with far less attention paid to body image. Yet, meta-analyses show that social media use, especially exposure to appearance-ideal images, is linked to poorer body image (de Valle et al., 2021; Mingoia et al., 2017; Saiphoo & Vahedi, 2019). Emerging evidence suggests these effects vary by gender, cultural context, online behavior, and platform affordances such as filters, photo-editing, and idealized self-presentation. In this Research Topic, we focus primarily on digital/social media interventions targeting body image as well as policy evaluations of technology restrictions on youth (e.g., social media bans, phone-free schools), while also welcoming closely related work on underlying mechanisms and contextual variation where these have clear relevance to intervention or policy questions.

Body image concerns are prevalent among youth and can begin in childhood. Social and digital media often amplify appearance concerns by exposing young people to idealized bodies, making interventions targeting digital/social media and body image especially necessary. As policies restricting youth technology use expand, evaluations of these policies are also needed, alongside a stronger evidence base on what works to protect and promote healthy body image online. The goal of this Research Topic is to consolidate global evidence on digital/social media interventions targeting body image and on evaluations of policies that modify or restrict youth technology use with implications for body image. We also welcome work on the mechanisms through which digital media shape body image and appearance-related identity formation - including social comparison, self-objectification, appearance monitoring, and self-presentation - when directly linked to intervention or policy implications.

We welcome submissions on how appearance-related digital media experiences may shape body image outcomes across diverse youth populations. The following article types will be considered: Original Research, Brief Research Report, Systematic Review, Mini Review, Perspective, Policy and Practice Reviews, and General Commentary. We encourage submissions that:

• Develop and test social/digital media interventions aimed at body image;
• Examine impacts of social media or digitally focused body image interventions on both positive and negative body image, including outcomes such as body dissatisfaction, appearance-related self-esteem, body appreciation, body dysmorphic symptoms, acceptance of appearance diversity, and appearance-related distress;
• Include under-represented samples and diverse cultural settings, such as LGBTQ+ youth, neurodivergent youth, youth with visible differences, and youth in low- and middle-income contexts;
• Review existing social/digital media interventions aimed at improving body image;
• Evaluate or review policies at school, local, regional, or national levels with implications for body image;
• Examine mechanisms that social media or digitally focused body image interventions target, e.g., social comparison, self-objectification, idealized self-presentation, or digital behaviors;
• Assess school practices, platform features, or regulatory approaches with implications for body image and appearance-related well-being;
• Present cross-cultural or cross-national studies of youth digital media use and body image with clear relevance to intervention or policy questions.

Submission guidance: This Research Topic is cross-listed across multiple sections and journals to ensure full coverage of the field. Authors are encouraged to submit to the section that best matches the primary focus of their work: submissions primarily focused on adolescents should be directed to Adolescent Psychological Development (Frontiers in Developmental Psychology); submissions primarily focused on children should be directed to Social and Emotional Development (Frontiers in Developmental Psychology); submissions with a stronger clinical or mental health focus should be directed to the relevant section in Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Given the high interest in this collection and to ensure efficient editorial review, all prospective authors are also required to submit an abstract (manuscript summary) by 14 September 2026 before proceeding with a full manuscript.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Appearance, Body Image, Interventions, Public Policy, Children Adolescents, Youth

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.