How does COVID-19-related social media usage influence disordered eating? A daily diary study among Chinese adults during lockdown

Our study examined how using social media during the COVID-19 lockdown might be related to individuals’ mental health, particularly stress, anxiety, and disordered eating. Using a daily diary design, we found that individuals with more frequent social media use to get information about COVID-19 exhibited higher stress and anxiety related to the pandemic, higher general psychological distress, as well as higher disordered eating. Multilevel mediation analyses further showed that COVID-19-related anxiety played a mediating role in the connection between COVID-19-related social media use and disordered eating, at the within-person level. These findings underscore the complex impacts of social media use during lockdowns and highlight the importance of managing social media consumption to protect mental health and well-being in such challenging times.