Teens who spend more time on social media could be far more likely to developing eating disorders. According to new research teens who spend just 30 minutes a day could have
increased
feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness and notably poor self-image, the latter of which could lead to unhealthy eating behaviors.
Social media does not cause eating disorders in children
, but it does not always help. Spending time on Facebook and Instagram can be a way for teenagers to connect with friends and catch up on the latest news in their communities.
The media
puts a large amount of pressure on females to meet a certain social and cultural standard of beauty
, which can inevitably lead to poor body image and eating disorders. The more an individual is exposed to this unrealistic standard, the more they find it is reflective of how they should look.
How does the media influence anorexia?
A study of the relationship between media and eating disorders among undergraduate college students found that media exposure
predicted disordered eating symptomatology, drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction and ineffectiveness in women
, and endorsement of personal thinness and dieting in men (19).
How does Instagram cause eating disorders?
According to the National Eating Disorder Association, a recent study of women between the ages of 18 and 25 showed a link between Instagram and
increased self-objectification and body image concerns
, especially among those who frequently viewed fitspiration images.
According to the Pew Research Center, 69% of adults and 81% of teens in the U.S. use social media. This puts a large amount of the population at an
increased risk of feeling anxious
, depressed, or ill over their social media use.
How does advertising cause eating disorders?
In particular, the portrayal of thin models in advertising. Eating disorders
arise due to an individual’s distorted perception of their own body image
.
How does the media affect body image?
The effects of social media on your body image can lead to
serious negative consequences
for your psychological and physical wellbeing. … We may find ourselves spending more time on social media, and falling deeper into a cycle of negative comparison, guilt and low self-worth, and further eating disordered behaviour.
Social media can then
hurt your body image by constantly exposing yourself to the ideal body type
, leading to constant comparison of yourself to unrealistic standards. Additionally, photoshop and filters are readily available to users playing into the unrealistic body image.
What is orthorexia?
Orthorexia is
an eating disorder characterized by having an unsafe obsession with healthy food
. An obsession with healthy dieting and consuming only “pure foods” or “clean eating” becomes deeply rooted in the individual’s way of thinking to the point that it interferes with their daily life.
However, social media use can also
negatively affect teens
, distracting them, disrupting their sleep, and exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure. The risks might be related to how much social media teens use.
It is characterized by
constantly checking what friends/followers are doing
so as not to miss out. FoMO has been associated with lower mood and life satisfaction and higher levels of social media engagement which in turn results in increased experiences of FoMO.
There’s bad news for those self-proclaimed social media “addicts”: multiple studies from the last year show that too
much
time spent on your favorite platforms can make you depressed and less satisfied with life. It starts early, too; even young teens report negative effects from social media obsession.
Social media has the
ability to both capture and scatter your attention
. … Not only does this lead to poorer cognitive performance, but it shrinks parts of the brain associated with maintaining attention.
