Professional medical help and medication are often a vital part of the eating disorder recovery process. If you or a loved one are coping with an eating disorder, contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline for support at 866-662-1235.
If your teen is playing with a new phone or smart device after the holidays, you may have some concerns. But are you paying close enough attention to how more screen time might affect a child’s risk for an eating disorder?
Research has suggested a link between the use of screen time and social media and the risk of developing an eating disorder.
A September study showed that each additional hour of screen time and social media use was associated with higher odds of showing eating disorder symptoms. And adolescents who spend more time online are more likely to experience cyberbullying, another risk factor for an eating disorder, according to a 2023 study.
Binge-watching and binge-scrolling may also influence binge eating, said Dr. Jason Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. His 2021 study found that every additional hour of social media use was linked with a 62% higher risk of developing binge eating disorder a year later.
The connection between eating disorder risk and social media use is multifaceted, and the way to protect yourself and the kids in your life may take different forms, experts said.
Is social media so bad?
Why might there be such a strong connection between social media and eating disorders? There are many factors, including comparisons, exposures to unattainable body ideals and intensification of impulsive behaviors, Nagata said.
“With social media, one of the things we know is it gives greater and more immediate access to teens around different ideas. This is both good and bad,” said Erin Birely, a licensed professional counselor and alumni services coordinator for the Renfrew Center, an eating disorder treatment center with several locations on the East Coast.
Social media makes it easy to join communities, but some may include people who don’t have healthy ideas about food and body image, Birely added. They can share dangerous behavior, which can influence what you start to see as normal.
“Social media can definitely increase the frequency that kids are looking at images that have been edited or posed a certain way, that continue to perpetuate this kind of thin ideal or body image ideals that aren’t super helpful,” she said.
Outside of potentially harmful images being advanced, many influencers get paid to promote products that encourage weight loss, said Jennifer Rollin, founder of the Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland.
There’s an awareness that advertisements in magazines can make people feel bad about their appearance so they will buy a product in hopes of making a change, but such tactics are harder to recognize on social media, she added.
The problem isn’t just what teens see but also their understanding that others can see them –– whether they are getting bullied or complimented, Nagata said.
“This feedback may lead to a vicious cycle and additional pressures to portray a certain branding,” he said. “Teens may spend a lot of time thinking or planning for social media postings, which can lead to anxiety and stress.”
Troublesome content can be hard to spot
Some of the problematic content is obvious — exercises to “snatch” your waist or dieting advice — but because of how normalized diet culture has become, some of the most impactful content might go completely under your radar, Rollin said.
“The most dangerous thing is really the normalization of behaviors that are incredibly disordered … normalizing this focus on weight loss and body image obsession,” she added.
Even a social media feed with people who aren’t trying to get others to lose weight but that features one body type can be unhelpful when it comes to preventing eating disorders, Rollin said.
If you or your teen have feeds that don’t show a diversity of body types or a variety of content that may have nothing to do with image (such as hobbies, travel or experiences), it can be easy to get too fixated on bodies, she added.
In fact, adding accounts with a diversity of bodies and experiences to a social media feed can be protective against eating disorders, Rollin said.
Is it time to delete the apps?
Social media isn’t the sole cause of eating disorders, and banning it isn’t always necessary, Birely said.
For teens, delaying access as long as possible may help, and it is important to be aware of how individuals use it and how they feel when they do so to decide if it is better to take a break, unfollow certain accounts or delete apps altogether, Rollin said.
But there are supportive networks and other benefits on social media as well, Birely added.
“Sometimes it can be a good way to actually help (teens) learn how to tolerate and manage those risks,” she said. “How do we tolerate the emotions that come up when we see (triggering content)?”
However much a family limits social media, it is important to keep conversations open between adults, teens or younger kids about what they see on social media and how it might make them feel, Nagata said.
Try to avoid screen time around meals to encourage conversation and keep an eye on children’s eating habits.
“Warning signs for eating disorders include when an individual becomes preoccupied or obsessed with weight, appearance, body size, food or exercise in a way that worsens their quality of life and daily functioning,” Nagata said. “They may withdraw from usual activities or friends because of concerns with body size and appearance.”
A person’s appearance alone cannot necessarily indicate an eating disorder, and people of all genders, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, ages and sizes can be affected, he added.
If you think that you or your teen may be struggling with an eating disorder or unhealthy anxieties around food, you should seek professional help from a health care provider or therapist, Nagata said.
“Eating disorders are best supported by an interdisciplinary team including a mental health, medical and nutrition provider,” he added.
