The Mirror’s Trap: Mindful Awareness as a Mediator Between Social Appearance Anxiety and Social Media Addiction in Adolescents

Adolescence is a critical period for identity formation and social development, and social media can shape appearance perceptions and social acceptance. Social appearance anxiety may increase vulnerability to social media addiction, whereas mindful awareness may buffer this risk. This study tested mindful awareness as a mediator between social appearance anxiety and social media addiction in adolescents. The sample comprised 382 volunteer secondary school students in eastern Türkiye during the 2024–2025 academic year. Participants completed standardized measures of social appearance anxiety, mindful awareness, and social media addiction. Data were analyzed with SPSS 27.0 and PROCESS Macro Model 4 (p < .05). Social appearance anxiety was positively related to social media addiction and negatively related to mindful awareness; mindful awareness was also negatively related to addiction. Mediation results indicated partial mediation, suggesting mindfulness-based interventions may reduce appearance anxiety and promote healthier social media use. These findings highlight mindful awareness as a target for prevention.