New study links mother’s selfie habits to her teen’s interest in cosmetic surgery

A mother’s frequent engagement with taking, editing, and posting selfies may indirectly influence her adolescent child’s interest in cosmetic surgery, according to new research. The study found that the connection is not direct, but instead operates through a chain of effects involving the adolescent’s own selfie habits, their tendency to monitor their appearance, and their satisfaction with their face. The findings were published in the Journal of Health Psychology.

The researchers, led by Lijuan Xiao of Xi’an Jiaotong University, initiated the study to better understand the factors contributing to the rising popularity of cosmetic surgery among young people. This trend is particularly noticeable in China, where the market for cosmetic procedures is expanding rapidly and the number of consumers under the age of 20 is growing.

Since considering cosmetic surgery is a strong predictor of actually undergoing a procedure, the scientists wanted to investigate the influences that shape these attitudes in adolescents. Prior research has established that parents, and mothers in particular, play a significant role in shaping their children’s body image. The study aimed to connect this established parental influence with the modern, widespread phenomenon of selfie-related behaviors on social media.

To conduct their investigation, the researchers recruited 541 mother and adolescent pairs from two high schools in China. The adolescents had an average age of about 16 and a half years old. Both the mothers and their children completed a series of questionnaires. Mothers reported on their own selfie-related behaviors, which included how much effort they put into taking and choosing photos, how often they edited their selfies with filters or software, and how frequently they took them.

The adolescents answered the same questions about their own selfie habits. In addition, the adolescents completed surveys that measured their levels of body surveillance, facial dissatisfaction, and their consideration of cosmetic surgery. Body surveillance refers to the habit of viewing one’s own body as an object to be looked at and evaluated by others.

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The analysis of the data revealed a complex set of relationships. The researchers first determined that there was no direct statistical link between a mother’s selfie-related behaviors and her child’s consideration of cosmetic surgery. In other words, a mother’s selfie habits alone did not directly predict whether her teenager was thinking about surgical or non-surgical procedures to change their appearance. The influence was found to be indirect and passed through a series of intermediate steps involving the adolescents themselves.

A key finding was that mothers who engaged in more frequent selfie-taking and editing tended to have adolescent children who did the same. This suggests that adolescents may learn and imitate these behaviors by observing their mothers. The study then showed that the adolescents’ own selfie behaviors were connected to their body image. Teenagers who engaged in more selfie-related activities reported higher levels of body surveillance, meaning they were more likely to constantly monitor their own appearance. These same selfie habits were also linked to greater dissatisfaction with their facial appearance.

The final steps in the chain connected these body image concerns to thoughts about cosmetic surgery. Adolescents who reported higher levels of body surveillance were more likely to consider cosmetic surgery. Similarly, teenagers who expressed greater dissatisfaction with their faces also showed a stronger inclination to consider cosmetic procedures. The statistical analysis confirmed that these factors worked together in sequence.

For example, one indirect pathway showed that a mother’s selfie behaviors were linked to her child’s selfie behaviors, which in turn predicted higher body surveillance, which then predicted greater consideration of cosmetic surgery. Another pathway showed that this chain could extend further, with body surveillance leading to facial dissatisfaction, which then led to considering cosmetic surgery.

The researchers also explored whether these patterns of influence differed between boys and girls. While they did find that adolescent girls tended to engage in more selfie-related behaviors than boys, the overall model of influence was the same for both genders. A mother’s selfie habits were linked to her son’s or daughter’s consideration of cosmetic surgery through the same indirect pathways involving the adolescent’s own behaviors and body image perceptions. This suggests that the pressures related to appearance and social media may affect male and female adolescents in similar ways in this context.

The study authors acknowledged certain limitations in their research. The investigation focused exclusively on mothers, and the influence of fathers was not examined. Future studies could include fathers to provide a more complete picture of parental influence, especially given that fathers can have a distinct impact on their sons’ body image.

The research was also conducted with a specific population in China, and the findings may not apply universally. Cultural norms around beauty standards and family dynamics could mean that these relationships are stronger or weaker in different parts of the world. Finally, because the data was collected at a single point in time, it shows connections between variables but cannot definitively prove cause and effect. Future research using a longitudinal design, which follows participants over time, could help clarify the direction of these influences.

The study, “Selfie-loving mothers and children in China: The relationship between the selfie-related behaviors of mothers and adolescents’ cosmetic surgery consideration,” was authored by Lijuan Xiao, Yurui Ren, and Baolin Li.