AI FILTER USAGE AND BODY IMAGE CONCERNS AMONG ADOLESCENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Keywords:
Body Image, AI-filters, teenagers, social pressure, body dissatisfactionAbstract
Adolescent’s perception of their virtual presence has been significantly transformed because of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven beautification filters available on social media platforms. These filters significantly modify facial features, skin tones hair color, etc. often creating unrealistic appearance standards. In order to find out the link between teenage body-image issues and the use of AI filters, the present systematic review summarizes empirical results from research published between 2015 to 2024. Results constantly point to a link between the positive correlation between frequent use of AI filters and increased body dissatisfaction and symptoms of Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). The present study focuses on psychological processes, such as social comparison, internalization of the false appearance standards that underlie these effects. Furthermore, the implications and recommendations for prevention and future research are also presented.
Downloads
References
Dw, B. H., & Subriadi, A. P. (2024, November). The impact of social media filters on body perception and psychological well-being in adolescent girls: Systematic literature review. In 2024 International Conference on Informatics, Multimedia, Cyber and Information System (ICIMCIS) (pp. 423–428). IEEE. Misnawati, D., Perdana, B., Ariana, S., Damayanti, N., Rakhmansyah, M., & Yolandita, A. (2025). AI-driven content filtering on Instagram and its impact on youth lifestyle and interaction. In 2025 4th International Conference on Creative Communication and Innovative Technology (ICCIT) (pp. 1–6). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCIT65724.2025.11167515 Sánchez Reina, J. R., Theophilou, E., Hernández Leo, D., & Medina Bravo, P. (2021). The power of beauty or the tyranny of algorithms: How do teens understand body image on Instagram? Saxena, A. (2024). Filters and figures: Exploring the impact of social media on adolescent body image. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches in Psychology, 2(4), 942–955. Schroeder, M., & Behm-Morawitz, E. (2025). Digitally curated beauty: The impact of slimming beauty filters on body image, weight loss desire, self-objectification, and anti-fat attitudes. Computers in Human Behavior, 165, 108519. Shukla, V., & Srivastava, S. (2023). Social media (SM) effects on self-esteem (SE) and body image (BI) of teenage girls using artificial intelligence (AI). International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning, 13(1), 1–17. Sun, J., Xiao, X., Luo, L., & Yang, J. (2025). The influence of appearance-related social pressure in social media in the generative AI era on university students' social avoidance: The mediating role of body image and precautionary perspectives. In Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Generative AI and Digital Media Arts (pp. 189–195). The Children’s Society. (n.d.). Artificial intelligence, body image and toxic expectations. https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/blogs/artificial-intelligence-body-image-and-toxic-expectations Vajpayee, A. (2024). Pixels, perspectives, and psychological strain: Unravelling the link between negative body image, Internet of Things (IoT), and mental health challenges in student population. In S. K. Gupta, D. A. Karras, & R. Natarajan (Eds.), Revolutionizing Healthcare: AI Integration with IoT for Enhanced Patient Outcomes (Vol. 7). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65022-2_17 Vizcaíno-Verdú, A., Feijoo, B., & Sádaba, C. (2025). Behind the adolescent filter: Unveiling the connection between digital body image edition, satisfaction, and well-being. Atlantic Journal of Communication, 33(4), 597–610. https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2025.2470737 Chu, M. D., Sánchez, C., He, Z., Dorn, R., Murray, S. B., & Lerman, K. (2025). Leveraging Machine Learning to Identify Gendered Stereotypes and Body Image Concerns on Diet and Fitness Online Forums. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2407.03551v2 Ebert, N., Geppert, T., Strycharz, J., Knieps, M., Hönig, M., & Brucker-Kley, E. (2023). Creative beyond TikToks: Investigating Adolescents’ Social Privacy Management on TikTok. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2301.11600v1 Lan, J., & Huang, Y. (2025). Between Filters and Feeds: Investigating Douyin and WeChat’s Influence on Chinese Adolescent Body Image. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.17755v2
