In bedrooms, classrooms, and coffee shops, millions of teenage girls scroll through social media feeds daily. Bright selfies, workout tips, funny memes—and then something darker. A post with mocking comments about someone’s body. Words like “fat,” “ugly,” or “disgusting” spilled carelessly below a photo. The screen may glow in silence, but the words cut deep.
For the first time in Australia, scientists have looked inside the adolescent brain to see what actually happens when girls witness this kind of digital cruelty. The research, led by Ph.D. candidate Taliah Prince at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Thompson Institute, has uncovered something remarkable—and alarming. Cyberbullying related to body image doesn’t just harm the girls it targets. It affects the bystanders, too.
Using functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans, the researchers explored what happens when teenage girls—aged 14 to 18—read social media posts attacking someone’s body size, weight, or shape. The study, published in the journal NeuroImage, reveals that the emotional and psychological impacts of such exposure go far beyond hurt feelings. They leave neurological footprints, altering the way the brain processes emotion, attention, and even memory.
Inside the Brain of a Teenage Girl
The participants in the study weren’t just reading generic posts. They were shown real-world examples of what is known as body image-related cyberbullying (BRC)—comments designed to shame, mock, or degrade someone based on how they look. As the girls read these posts inside an fMRI machine, the researchers watched their brains light up in specific, telling ways.
What they saw was unsettling.
Brain regions responsible for emotional regulation, social understanding, and visual processing became significantly more active. For many of these girls, just witnessing the bullying was enough to trigger a cascade of neural activity that looked a lot like emotional distress, social confusion, and heightened vigilance.
And for girls who had recently been cyberbullied themselves, the effect was even more profound. Their brains responded as though they were reliving the pain. The scans showed increased activity in regions tied to memory and visual attention—a sign that viewing the bullying may have stirred vivid recollections of their own experiences.
This suggests that even if a girl isn’t the target of online cruelty, her brain may still process it as a personal threat—especially if she’s been hurt before.
Not All Brains React the Same
One of the study’s most surprising discoveries was how body satisfaction played a protective role. Girls who reported being content with their bodies showed more activation in areas of the brain related to emotion regulation and reward. It’s as if their minds had a built-in buffer, shielding them from the sting of cruel comments. These girls were not unaffected, but they seemed better equipped—at a neural level—to manage the emotional fallout.
This finding holds powerful implications.
It suggests that fostering body positivity isn’t just about feeling good—it could be a biological defense mechanism against the psychological harm of toxic online spaces. When girls have a stronger, more positive body image, their brains may be more resilient to cyberbullying’s emotional toll.
The Hidden Toll of Watching
Much of the research into cyberbullying has traditionally focused on the victims and the bullies. But this new study turns the spotlight onto a third, often-overlooked group: the bystanders. These are the girls who watch it unfold, who read the comments, who see the memes, who scroll past the photos—but don’t say a word.
And now, thanks to Prince and her team, we know that this silent witnessing doesn’t mean they’re unaffected. Quite the opposite.
Even girls who aren’t directly involved can carry the emotional burden. Their brains tell the story. The regions responsible for interpreting social situations and regulating emotional response activate as if they, too, are under fire. Cyberbullying is not just a private matter between bully and target—it’s a shared trauma within the digital community.
That’s especially concerning in an age where the average teenager can’t go more than a few minutes without checking social media.
A Vulnerable Time, A Fragile Mirror
Adolescence is a period of profound change. The teenage brain is still developing, especially in areas linked to identity, self-esteem, and peer relationships. Girls at this age are forging their sense of self—trying to figure out who they are, how they look, and how they fit in.
Now imagine building that identity in an environment where appearance is constantly judged, filtered, commented on, and compared. Where one thoughtless comment can go viral. Where feedback isn’t always constructive—it’s brutal, anonymous, and public.
For adolescent girls, appearance-related cyberbullying (ARC)—a broader category that includes BRC—is the most common form of online harassment. And its consequences are deeply disturbing. In a previous study from the same institute, 96% of victims said they wanted to change their appearance because of ARC. Alarmingly, 81% expressed a desire to undergo cosmetic procedures.
This isn’t just about feeling bad for a few days. This is about girls being reshaped—psychologically and neurologically—by the toxic messages they absorb.
Why This Study Matters So Much
Prince’s research isn’t just another study for journals and academics. It’s a wake-up call for parents, educators, policymakers, and social media platforms. It shows us that cyberbullying is not an abstract issue—it physically alters the brain.
What’s more, it helps explain why cyberbullying feels so all-encompassing for teenagers. The damage is not only emotional and social—it’s neurobiological. And unlike a bruise or broken bone, this kind of wound can be invisible and long-lasting.
But it also offers hope.
If some girls’ brains are better at weathering the storm, then we can learn from that. We can develop interventions that strengthen body confidence, resilience, and emotional regulation. We can teach digital literacy in a way that helps girls understand the mechanisms behind social media manipulation—and how to protect themselves and others.
We can start conversations—not just about cyberbullying, but about the architecture of social media itself. Should platforms allow anonymous comments? Should there be stronger moderation of appearance-shaming posts? How can technology be redesigned to nurture, rather than destroy, self-esteem?
Looking Forward: Building Safer Digital Worlds
The brain is a storyteller. It stores experiences, weighs emotions, builds memories, and forms habits. And during adolescence, it is writing its most sensitive chapters.
The girls in this study are not just subjects—they’re mirrors of our culture, our parenting, our platforms. They reflect what we value, what we ignore, and what we tolerate.
If body shaming online is lighting up the brain’s fear centers, memory vaults, and emotion regulators, then we have a choice to make: do we let it continue, or do we build something better?
Prince’s work makes that choice clearer.
Cyberbullying is not just a social problem. It’s a neural crisis—one unfolding quietly on the screens our children hold in their hands. But it’s also a challenge we can meet—with education, compassion, innovation, and courage.
Because when we understand how the brain reacts, we no longer have the excuse of ignorance. And when we finally listen to what teenage girls are telling us—through tears, silence, or brain scans—we realize they’re not just victims of a digital age.
They are the ones who can help us redesign it.
More information: Taliah Prince et al, Differential neural responses to body image-related cyberbullying in adolescent females, NeuroImage (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121266