SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE FOR STANDARDS OF BEAUTY AND BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER AMONG YOUNG FEMALE UNDERGRADUATE ADULTS IN SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The prevalence and influence of social media on body image dissatisfaction and the emergence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) symptoms have become areas of concern, yet there is limited research focusing on this phenomenon in the Kenyan context. This study examined the relationship between social media usage for standards of beauty and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) among young female adults in selected Nairobi City County universities, Kenya. The study employed a convergent parallel research design across four Nairobi City County universities (two public/two private) targeting 112,866 female undergraduates (18-25 years). Using multi-stage sampling, 399 participants were proportionally selected through stratification, and simple random selection. The findings revealed near-universal daily internet usage, with TikTok and Instagram emerging as the dominant platforms. Correlation analysis depicted that there existed a statistically significant, strong positive relationship between social media use for beauty standards and Body Dysmorphic Disorder score among young female adults in the selected universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya (r=.694, p=.021. This study concluded that there is a significant link between social media beauty standards and BDD score. There is a need for institutional and policy interventions, including university-based digital literacy programs addressing algorithmic influences on body image perception and regulatory measures for beauty content labeling and algorithmic audits to ensure technology is not used for misinformation.