Short-form video overuse and adolescents’ restrained eating: the roles of body shame and physical exercise

BACKGROUND: The social media’s dissemination of norms for body shape is progressively shaping individual perceptions and behaviors. Social media plays a key role in causing body shame and restrained eating behavioral pattern of adolescents. Although the relationships among short-form video overuse, body shame, and restrained eating are well documented, it is unclear whether the specific problem of short-form video overuse also plays a role in these relationships. We tested body shame as a mediator and physical exercise as a moderator of the association between short-form video overuse and restrained eating among adolescents. METHODS: Adolescents (N = 535; ages 13 to 17; 50.1% girls) from four secondary schools in Hunan Province, China were surveyed by cluster sampling method. The students completed the Short-Form Video Overuse Scale, the Body Shame Scale, the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and the Physical Activity Rating Scale during regular class time. RESULTS: The results of regression-based analyses indicated that short-form video overuse was positively associated with restrained eating, and body shame mediated this association. The relationship between body shame and restrained eating was stronger among adolescents who engaged in low physical exercise. CONCLUSION: Excessive viewing of Short-form video may increase the risk of body shame and restrained eating. The results highlight the potential utility of physical exercise in interventions to reduce adolescents’ restrained eating.