New Analysis Dives Deep Into How Youth Social Media Consumption Contributes To A Cycle Of Body Image And Eating Disorder Risks
Recent reports have found that approximately 91% of adolescents in the U.S. and U.K. use social media. At the same time, over half check their social media accounts at least one time every hour.
So, researchers from the Institute for Global Health, University College of London, decided to investigate the influence that such constant social media use may have on eating pathology and body image concerns among youth.
Alexandra Drane and Komal Bhatia analyzed data collected via 50 studies conducted in 17 countries that included young people between the ages of 10 and 24. All of these studies focused on social media exposure’s impacts on mental and physical health outcomes.
Eating disorders are one particular concern among youth. And with so much social media interaction in modern childhood, these health risks may have generational impacts.
So, the researchers believe that understanding the contributing pathology would enable parents, educators, researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to proactively deploy and use preventative resources.
Their study, which was recently published in PLOS Global Public Health, concluded that social media usage could lead to poor mental health, body image concerns, disordered eating, and eating disorders.
It was found that the frequency and time spent consuming pro-eating disorder content, social media trends, appearance-focused platforms, and appearance-related activities only strengthened this negative relationship.
Additionally, being female, having a high body mass index (BMI), and having pre-existing body image concerns contributed to the relationship.
On the other hand, having strong social media literacy and high body appreciation were found to protect against adverse consequences of social media use.
therabbithole – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Nonetheless, three of the cross-sectional studies included in the analysis suggested that appearance-focused platforms– such as Snapchat and Instagram– are significantly linked to body image concerns, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and eating disorder pathology.
The relationship between social media use and body image dissatisfaction– which includes low self-esteem, body shame, and body-related anxiety– was also demonstrated in 33 of the studies.
Five of these studies then went so far as to suggest that body image dissatisfaction paves the way for eating disorder pathology.
Other appearance-related habits and activities– such as avoiding “selfies,” editing photos, and posting manipulated photos– were persistently linked with eating disorder pathology risk and body image dissatisfaction in 17 studies.
Strong associations between social media use and disordered eating habits– such as extreme dieting, binging, purging, and laxative use– were also observed in 11 studies.
Finally, five of the analyzed cross-section studies even connected the frequency of social media use to multiple clinical eating disorders.
The researchers also looked at hashtags to understand how they perpetuate eating disorder pathology risk. Eight studies specifically focused on the #fitspiration trend and found mixed results.
Approximately half of the hashtags supported the pathology relationship; meanwhile, 25% partially supported it, and the remaining 25% refuted it.
The analysis revealed that while some people who consumed #fitspiration content were inspired to partake in healthy exercise and eating habits, others experienced adverse consequences– such as pressure to excessively exercise with subsequent disordered eating outcomes.
Three other studies focused on a different hashtag, known as the #thinspiration trend– concluding that it encouraged starvation as a lifestyle choice rather than a severe symptom of mental illness.
In content using this hashtag, posts actually provided guidance for people to engage in harmful eating disorder behaviors. The posts also included guides and tips on how to conceal these habits from others.
Today, adolescents are consuming extraordinary levels of social media that lack the same regulation as traditional media environments older generations grew up with. Due to this, the researchers called the potential outcomes “alarming.”
“Social media use amongst a developmentally susceptible age category is unprecedented and largely unregulated. The plausible link between social media, body image dissatisfaction, and eating disorders is alarming.”
To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.
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