Introduction The majority of young people use social media to communicate with their friends through photos, chats and forums or to find information. Advertisement and content in social media often portrays gender stereotypes. Many young people feel pressured to live up to the stereotypes and uploads beautified images to mimic ideals. The aim of the study was to describe how the content in social media could influence the self-image of adolescents aged 13-25. Method Scientific articles were found in the databases CINAHL and PubMed. The articles were thematized and five themes emerged through a literature review. Results The five themes that emerged were the effect Peer pressure, Social comparison, Drive for thinness, Training and Food related content had on the self-image among adolescents. Peer pressure could lead to body dissatisfaction. The drive for thinness dominated among girls while the most dominating ideal for boys were a muscular body. Failure to live up to the ideals could lead to depressive symptoms and eating disorders. Discussion Consuming ideal images of men and women could lead to an unrealistic pressure on themselves but it could also serve as motivation.