Screens and Self: Association Between Physical Activity, Problematic Internet Use, and Body Consciousness in Adolescents

Abstract

In an era of digital connectivity, social media has proven to be beneficial yet detrimental to adolescents, while it fosters creativity and connections, it can also cause anxiety and emotional distress. As social media is highly integrated into daily life, worries about their psychological effects have grown, particularly for school-age populations as psychological underpinnings of problematic internet use specifically among adolescents. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of how physical activity, body image, and media overuse affect teens' cognitive and body image perceptions. A total of 95 high school students completed the standardized self-report scales to gather quantitative data based on their digital use and psychological responses using correlations and t-tests. The findings suggest educators, parents, and mental health professionals with important insights for developing school-based mental health interventions, encouraging healthy digital behaviours, and preventive frameworks tailored to the evolving digital environments of adolescents.