Using Exercise to Counteract the Effects of Social Media

Over 90% of young adults use social media, and excessive use correlates with lower self-esteem, while exercise enhances it (McAuley et al., 1997; Twenge et al., 2018). This study examines how social media use and exercise influence self-esteem. We hypothesized that social media use would negatively predict self-esteem while exercise would have a positive association. Participants (N = 583; 395 females; M age = 24.87, SD = 11.08) completed demographic surveys, time-use assessments, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. We measured social media use by summing daily minutes across platforms and recorded exercise frequency as weekly days of 15+ minutes of activity. Descriptive analyses revealed that males exercised more frequently (M = 3.71, SD = 2.18) and reported higher self-esteem (M = 3.96, SD = 0.78) than females (exercise: M = 3.09, SD = 2.15; self-esteem: M = 3.72, SD = 0.83). Independent samples t-tests found no significant gender difference in social media use but identified significant differences in exercise frequency (t[581] = -3.25, p = .001) and self-esteem (t[581] = -3.27, p = .001). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that social media use negatively predicted self-esteem (β = -.103, p = .009), while exercise had a positive effect (β = .162, p < .001). These findings suggest that social media use and exercise independently influence self-esteem, with social media linked to lower self-esteem and exercise linked to higher self-esteem. Further research could explore exercise as a potential intervention to counteract the adverse effects of social media on self-esteem.