Real-world examples of social media's influence on self-esteem

Before you design a psychology project, it helps to anchor it in everyday life. When teachers ask for examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem, they’re usually looking for specific, observable situations you can measure.

Here are several everyday patterns that work well as the backbone of a science fair project:

• A student feels better or worse about their body after scrolling through fitness influencers on Instagram.
• A teen’s mood rises when a post gets lots of likes and drops when it doesn’t.
• A middle-schooler compares their number of followers to friends and decides they are “less popular.”
• A college student posts heavily edited selfies and feels anxious about being seen without filters.
• Someone takes a break from social media and reports feeling less self-conscious afterward.

Each of these is an example of how online behavior can connect directly to self-esteem, and each can be turned into a testable question.

Examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem in appearance and body image

If you’re looking for the best examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem for a student research project, body image is a strong starting point. It’s visible, measurable, and heavily studied.

Filters, face-tuning, and body comparison

One powerful example of social media’s impact is the rise of face filters and editing apps. Many teens and young adults now see a filtered version of themselves more often than their unedited face. That can change what they think “normal” looks like.

Research from the American Psychological Association and related studies on body image suggest that frequent exposure to idealized, edited images is linked to body dissatisfaction, especially among girls and young women. A 2024 meta-analysis of social media and body image (you can look for similar work via NIH’s PubMed) reports consistent associations between appearance-focused social media use and lower body satisfaction.

For a science fair project, examples include:

• Students who often use beauty filters rating their own looks lower than students who rarely use them.
• Participants who follow many fitness or “thinspiration” accounts reporting more body dissatisfaction than those who follow mostly friends or hobbies.

You could survey classmates about how often they use filters, then use a standard self-esteem or body image scale to see whether heavier filter use is related to lower scores.

TikTok and Instagram “body trends”

Another example of social media’s influence on self-esteem comes from shifting body trends. TikTok and Instagram have cycles of “ideal” looks: ultra-thin, then “slim thick,” then hyper-muscular, and so on. People who don’t match the current trend may feel left out or “wrong.”

For a project, you might:

• Ask students how often they see body-focused content on TikTok or Instagram (such as “What I eat in a day,” gym progress videos, or weight-loss transformations).
• Measure whether higher exposure to this content is associated with feeling less satisfied with their own body.

This is a clean, testable example of how algorithm-driven feeds can influence self-esteem by constantly pushing comparison material.

Social feedback: likes, comments, and follower counts as examples of status

When teachers ask for examples of examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem, the conversation usually turns to likes and followers. Social media turns social approval into visible numbers, which makes comparison almost automatic.

The “like” roller coaster

A classic example of influence: you post a photo, check your phone every few minutes, and feel a rush when the likes roll in—or disappointment when they don’t.

Studies on social reward in the brain (for example, work summarized by NIH) show that social approval activates reward pathways. On social media, that reward is quantified and public.

For a science fair project, examples include:

• Asking participants to recall a recent high-like post and a low-like post and rate their self-esteem or mood after each.
• Comparing self-esteem scores of students who say they “always” check likes to those who “rarely” do.

You could also explore whether hiding like counts (a feature now available on some platforms) changes how people feel about posting.

Follower counts and popularity anxiety

Follower counts are another visible status marker. A practical example of social media’s influence on self-esteem is when students compare their follower numbers to friends and decide their social worth based on that gap.

For research, you might:

• Ask: “How often do you compare your follower count to others?” and “How bad do you feel when someone has more followers than you?”
• Look for correlations between frequent follower comparison and lower self-esteem scores.

This is one of the best examples to study because it’s simple to explain to judges: more comparison to follower counts often predicts feeling less satisfied with yourself.

Cyberbullying, comments, and negative feedback as damaging examples

Not all examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem are subtle. Cyberbullying and harsh comments can hit self-worth directly.

Public criticism and humiliation

A painful example of influence is when someone’s post becomes a target for mean comments, teasing, or harassment. Because posts are public and shareable, humiliation can spread quickly.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that cyberbullying is linked to emotional distress, depression, and lower self-esteem among adolescents (CDC). For a science fair project, you obviously don’t create bullying, but you can study experiences that have already happened.

Possible project angles:

• An anonymous survey asking whether students have ever received hurtful comments online and how it affected how they felt about themselves.
• Comparing self-esteem scores between students who report frequent cyberbullying and those who report none.

These are clear, ethically appropriate examples of how negative social media experiences can lower self-worth.

Subtle exclusion and “left out” feelings

Not all damage comes from direct insults. Another example of social media’s influence on self-esteem is when someone sees friends hanging out without them. Even if there’s no bullying, being left out of group photos or chats can hurt.

You could explore:

• How often students feel left out after seeing posts of events they weren’t invited to.
• Whether those feelings predict lower scores on a self-esteem scale or higher loneliness.

This kind of project shows that even normal, everyday posting can affect how people see their social value.

Positive examples: social support, identity, and confidence boosts

It’s easy to focus only on the harms, but judges will appreciate if you include examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem that are positive, too. That balance also makes your project more realistic.

Supportive communities and shared experiences

One encouraging example of a positive effect: online support groups. People dealing with anxiety, chronic illness, or identity questions often find communities that make them feel understood.

For instance, mental health organizations and peer-support communities on platforms like Instagram or Reddit can:

• Normalize struggles ("I’m not the only one feeling this way").
• Provide encouragement and coping strategies.

You might design a study where:

• Students who follow mental health or support-oriented accounts report feeling more understood and less alone.
• Those who engage in positive communities report slightly higher self-esteem than those who don’t.

This gives you examples include both negative and positive pathways, which strengthens your analysis.

Creative expression and achievement

Another positive example of social media’s influence on self-esteem is when people use platforms to share art, music, sports, or academic achievements. Getting genuine, supportive feedback can reinforce a sense of competence.

For a project, you could:

• Ask students how often they share creative work or achievements online.
• Measure whether those who share and receive positive feedback report higher self-confidence in that area.

Again, the key is to separate healthy, specific encouragement ("Your drawing is great") from pure numbers ("You got 1,000 likes"), and see which predicts self-esteem more strongly.

2024–2025 trends: algorithm feeds, short-form video, and constant comparison

If you want your project to feel current, build in 2024–2025 trends when you describe examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem.

Short-form video and constant self-presentation

TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts encourage people to think of themselves as performers. That can be fun, but it can also create pressure to always be “on” and entertaining.

A modern example of influence:

• Teens spending hours planning, filming, and editing short videos, then tying their self-worth to views and comments.

You could compare:

• Students who regularly post short-form videos versus those who mainly watch.
• Whether heavy posting is associated with more self-consciousness about appearance or talent.

Algorithmic “for you” feeds and spirals of comparison

Algorithm-driven feeds push more of what people engage with. If someone watches a few “glow-up” or luxury lifestyle videos, the algorithm may flood them with similar content, intensifying comparison.

This creates powerful examples of how the feed itself can shape self-esteem:

• A student clicks on a few extreme fitness videos and then sees nothing but ultra-fit bodies, feeling worse and worse about their own.
• Another student watches study-with-me or productivity content and starts feeling “lazy” or “behind” compared to others.

For a project, you might:

• Ask students what types of content dominate their “For You” or “Explore” pages.
• Measure whether certain content clusters (fitness, beauty, luxury, productivity) are tied to lower or higher self-esteem.

This angle shows judges you understand that in 2024–2025, it’s not just what people choose to follow; it’s what the algorithm chooses for them.

Turning these examples into a science fair psychology project

Now that you have multiple examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem, the next step is to translate them into research questions and methods.

Possible research questions based on real examples

You could frame your project around questions like:

• “Do high school students who frequently use beauty filters report lower self-esteem than those who rarely use them?”
• “Is the number of hours spent on TikTok per day related to self-esteem scores?”
• “Are students who compare follower counts more often more likely to have lower self-esteem?”
• “Do students who follow supportive mental health or hobby communities report higher self-esteem than those who mostly follow influencers?”

Each question is grounded in the real examples described earlier.

Variables you can measure

From the examples include above, you can identify:

• Independent variables: time spent on specific apps, frequency of filter use, frequency of checking likes, exposure to certain content types, experiences with cyberbullying, participation in support communities.
• Dependent variable: self-esteem, often measured with a short standardized scale (for example, versions of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale used in many studies; you can search for it via university or Harvard resources).

You can then look for correlations (do they move together?) or group differences (do two groups have different average scores?).

Ethics and privacy

Because you’re dealing with mental health and self-esteem, keep your project respectful and safe:

• Make surveys anonymous.
• Avoid asking people to describe traumatic events in detail.
• Provide a list of mental health resources or school counselors if your questions might bring up difficult feelings.

Judges will appreciate that you took real-world examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem and handled them with care.

FAQ: Common questions about examples of social media and self-esteem

What are some simple examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem for a school project?

Simple, classroom-friendly examples of influence include:

• Students feeling better or worse depending on how many likes their posts get.
• People comparing their bodies to fitness or beauty influencers and feeling dissatisfied.
• Teens feeling left out after seeing friends’ posts from events they weren’t invited to.

All of these can be studied with anonymous surveys.

What is one example of a positive effect of social media on self-esteem?

One positive example of influence is when someone joins an online community for a shared interest—like art, music, or a health condition—and receives encouraging feedback. That sense of belonging and support can raise self-esteem and reduce feelings of isolation.

How can I use these examples in a psychology science fair project?

Choose one or two real examples that interest you, such as filter use or checking likes. Turn them into clear questions ("Does X relate to self-esteem?") and design an anonymous survey. Then analyze whether the behavior you’re studying is linked to higher or lower self-esteem scores.

Are there best examples that judges find especially convincing?

Judges usually like best examples that are easy to understand and clearly measurable: likes, follower counts, filter use, time spent on specific apps, and experiences with cyberbullying. If you can connect those behaviors to self-esteem scores and explain the pattern in plain language, your project will stand out.

Where can I find research to support my examples?

You can look up studies and background information on:

• CDC: for data on youth mental health and cyberbullying.
• NIH: for research on social media, mental health, and adolescent development.
• Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child: for resources on how social environments affect young people.

Citing these sources alongside your own data will strengthen your explanation of how your examples of social media’s influence on self-esteem fit into the bigger scientific picture.