Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VII, Central Visayas
DIVISION OF CEBU CITY, ND8
TALAMBAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

A Case Study about the Negative Impacts of Social Media on Body Image of
Teenagers Within Grade 11 and 12 STEM Students in Talamban National High
School

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of

Talamban National High School
Senior High School Department

In Partial Fulfillment for the Subject

Practical Research I

by

Bahon, Jaymar L.
Barberan, Rafaela Trisha A.
Pasay, Fran Kristel S.
Sasan, Daniel Kristian A.

May 2022
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Social media by definition is a form of communication instrument or mode by

means of the internet. There are various social media platforms, including Facebook,

Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. These platforms offer unique services or features

where the users can upload pictures, videos, quotes, blogs, news, and information. It

is known that social media has its advantages but it also has its disadvantages,

especially for teenagers, especially at their age their brain is still developing. Social

media has a significant role on teenagers in today’s modern world, teenagers have

the highest number of social media users as they understand how to use social

media the best. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry, 90% of teenagers between the range of 13-17 have used social media. It

may appear that social media is solely for exchanging messages, information, and

content, but it also is a place where boys and girls are given the definition of what is

socially considered “beautiful”, and it affects their perception of body image and

their self-esteem.

In 2018, research shows that 95% of teenagers between 13-15 have their

own smartphones, 72% use Instagram, and 41% use Snapchat ( Pew Research

Center, 2018). Research has shown that this exposure to social media has

detrimental effects on children’s mental health, especially their perception of body

image and what is considered and accepted as “beautiful” and “perfect” in society.
Teens, especially young girls, unconsciously compare themselves to influencers and

celebrities who seemingly have perfect bodies and faces, while scrolling through

social media platforms.

The media has set a standard of beauty that is unrealistic and unhealthy. It

affects people in a way that they would rather change themselves and some would

even end up having certain eating disorders in trying to achieve that standard.

According to NHS Digital in 2018, 16,000 people in the United Kingdom were

admitted to hospitals due to some type of eating disorder. Furthermore, according

to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, hospitalizations for eating

disorders surged to 18% in the United States from 2000 to 2006. This surge of

eating disorders aligns with the 2000s when social media first became popular.

While people, especially teenagers, compare and change themselves because

of social media. What most of them are not aware of is that almost all of the content

they see on social media aren’t realistic. there are these apps that edit your photos

to make your photo look desirable. Photo modification has a huge impact on

society’s perception of beauty. There are tons of advertisements that target all

different kinds of men and women in order to promote an absurd and unrealistic

image of what they call beauty. Using photoshopped pictures of models in ads, this

established an unrealistic beauty standard for both women and men which leads to

the feeling of inferiority.

 Based on the previous research done by other researchers and what facts are

already known about the topic. The researchers decided to conduct this study to

know more about the negative impacts of social media on the body image of

teenagers and if there is a significant relationship between the degree of negative

impacts of social media on the perception of body image of teenagers and how it

varies according to gender, age, years of use, and favorite app.

Conceptual Framework

Significant relationship

Social Media Body Image of Teenagers

Behavioral Effects

Does it vary according to

Gender Preferred
Grade Level Years of App
Usage

Figure 1. The Significant Relationship of Social Media and Body Image of

Teenagers.
 Figure 1 of the preceding page entitled “The Significant Relationship of Social

Media and Body Image of Teenagers” shows how the body image of teenagers is

affected by social media. It also shows if the behavioral effects due to the exposure

to social media vary according to grade level, gender, years of use, and preferred

app.

Statement of the Problem

1. Is there a significant relationship between the self-esteem of teenagers and

social media?

2. What behavioral effects do teenagers show of being exposed to stereotypical

beauty standards advertised on social media?

3. On average how often do teenagers spend time on social media?

3.1 Instagram?

3.2 Facebook?

3.3 Twitter?

4. Does the degree of negative impacts of social media on the perception of

body image of teenagers vary according to:

4.1 Gender?

4.2 Grade Level?

4.3 Years of usage?

 4.4 Preferred app?

Research Hypothesis

The following hypothesis will be raised in order to seek significance and

satisfy the problems involved in the study.

General Hypothesis:

Ho: There is no significant relationship between social media and the body

image of teenagers.

Specific Hypothesis:

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the behavioral effects that

teenagers show due to the exposure to social media and their grade level.

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the behavioral effects that

teenagers show due to the exposure to social media and their gender.

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the behavioral effects that

teenagers show due to the exposure to social media and their years of usage of

social media.

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the behavioral effects that

teenagers show due to the exposure to social media and their preferred app.
Significance of the Study

Social Media has its beneficial and detrimental effects. This study aims to

know the significance of social media and the perception of the body image of

teenagers. The findings of this study will be beneficial to the following sectors of

society:

Teenagers. The results of this study may encourage them to minimize their

usage of social media. It can be beneficial to them to willingly lessen their screen

time.

Parents. The results of this study will make the parents aware of the effects

of social media on the perception of the body image of their children. This will help

them encourage their children to minimize and limit their screen time.

Future Researchers. The findings of this study can be beneficial to other

future researchers in order to gain more insight into the topic. It can also be their

basis for future studies.

Scope and Delimitation

This study will mainly focus on the negative impacts of social media on the

body image of teenagers only within Grade 11 and 12 STEM students in Talamban

National High School for the school year 2021 - 2022.

Definition of Terms

To assist readers to comprehend this study, the following concepts that appear often

throughout it are described conceptually and operationally.

Behavioral Effects. In context, this refers to the possible effects of social media on a

teenager's behavior towards herself/himself.

Body Image. This contextually refers to how we perceive ourselves physically and

how we assume others perceive us.

Detrimental. This means to cause harm or an undesirable factor or thing that

causes harm.

Exposure to Social Media. This refers to “the extent to which audience members

have encountered specific messages or classes of messages/media content” (Slater,

2004, p. 168).

Perception. In regards to this study, it means a way of looking at, comprehending,

or analyzing something; a mental impression.

 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

The subsequent chapter contains published literature on the topic to aid the

reader’s understanding. Furthermore, the chapter’s goal is to deliver concepts and

theories that will be used to analyze the findings of this research.

2.1 Advertising and Body Image

Advertisements tend to accentuate sexuality and physical appeal in order to

sell products. However, studies show that this puts too much emphasis and pressure

on women and men’s appearances. (Croft, 2017). Advertisements are frequently

said to be overlooked, however, the messages are being taken in on a subconscious

level. (Kilbourne, 2015). We encounter different kinds of advertisements on social

media every day. These advertisements keep on repeating and keep showing up on

social media feeds which leads to a slim chance of a social media user not encounter

and intake the advertisement. Men and women’s body image is negatively affected

by advertising media as this can lead to unhealthy and harmful activity as men and

women endeavor for the media’s stereotyped muscular and ultra-thin figure. (Body

Image and Advertising, 2017)

 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

In collecting data for the study, the researchers utilized a quantitative

research design. The variables were measured through a questionnaire method. Due
to the restrictions of the pandemic, the researchers distributed the questionnaires

online using Google Forms.

Research Environment

This study will be conducted at Talamban National High School, A. Borbajo

Street, Talamban, Cebu City. The students will be able to answer the questionnaires

in the comfort of their own homes.

Research Population

The target population of this research study was senior high school students

of Talamban National High School, the first semester of the school year 2021-2022.

A total of 1,794 senior high school students of which 1,067 are grade 11 students

and 727 are grade 12 students. The grade 11 and 12 students are appropriate

subjects for this study as they are mostly teenagers who are exposed to social

media.

Table 1. Population and Sample Size to be used in the Study

Grade Level Population Sample

Grade 11 1,067 -

Grade 12 727 -

Total 1,794 100

Research Instrument

The research instrument is a crucial component in conducting research. The

researchers will collect appropriate data and shall analyze and will be evaluated by

the researchers. The survey will be in the form of a three-part questionnaire. The

first half of the survey will be spent getting to know the profile of the willing

participants. This will determine the name, age, gender, and preferred app to use.

Participants will begin the second half of the survey by answering close-ended

questions about our research. In this survey, the Likert Scale is used to assess

respondents' degree of agreement with each item. Each participant is asked to rate

each item from strongly agree to strongly disagree on a scale of 1 to 5. This second

half will consist 5 questions.

Finally, the third half of the questionnaire will consist of a basic yes or no item.

This will mostly focus on their own experiences with body image and how it has

influenced their life. The final question is an opinionated inquiry in which

participants can express themselves freely. The survey will be completed once all

participants have responded.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers wrote a consent letter to be addressed to both the school

principal and the adviser requesting permission to perform the research. The

adviser has taken note of the letter. The researchers handed the letter to the adviser,

who then forwarded it to the principal for approval to undertake the research. After

some deliberation, the questions posed were carefully researched and chosen to be

presented to the willing participants. The surveys were distributed via a link to a

Google Form, which was filled out by willing participants for the study. Once the

participants have completed the surveys, the researchers will collect the data, which

will be transcribed and examined. The data gathered will be handled with

confidentiality to ensure assurance from the participants.

Ethical Consideration

When conducting the research, the researchers must exercise ethical

consideration. This research assesses the issues and impact of social media on body

image in Talamban National Highschool Senior Highschool students; therefore, the

information acquired from participants must be treated with confidentiality and

security at all times in order to avoid future complications. This will ensure the

participants' dignity, transparency, and identity protection. Researchers have a

responsibility to behave honestly and ethically in the course of their research. (Your

Responsibilities as a Researcher — Vitae Website, n.d.)

The researchers shall be held accountable for any anomalies or other

conflicts that may arise throughout this study. Participants have complete freedom
and rights to disclose or not disclose any personal information when filling out

questionnaires such as name, gender, and so on.