Exploring the Negative Consequences of Online Body Shaming: A Study of Czech Adolescents

Abstract

With the growing use of social networks, online body shaming is becoming a widespread and often socially acceptable phenomenon. However, unlike cyberbullying, the consequences of online body shaming are largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of behavioral, relational and cognitive-emotional responses to the experience of online body shaming. The study included a population-based cohort of 9441 adolescents aged 11–17 years. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the research team utilizing multiple-choice questions. The experience of online shaming was categorized based on whether it focused on the victims’ online presentation, appearance, or physical constitution. The results showed that 25.84% of teenagers had experienced online body shaming. We observed up to 50% prevalence of relational responses in both online and offline space and 25–45% prevalence of cognitive-emotional responses, primarily associated with depression- and anxiety-like feelings. This was accompanied by up to 15% prevalence of psychosomatic problems and substance use. These responses were significantly more prevalent in girls. Body shaming targeting teenagers’ physical constitution resulted in up to 21 times higher odds of negative responses compared to body shaming with a different focus. These findings suggest that online body shaming can have similarly detrimental effects on mental health, social functioning, and self-perception as cyberbullying.