Does Social Media Cause Eating Disorders?

The Relationship Between Social Media and Eating Disorders

It’s Eating Disorders Awareness Week, and it’s time to talk about a major risk factor: social media. One question that has become popular in recent years is: does social media cause eating disorders? Studies suggest that people who spend over 3 hours a day on social media are more likely to develop eating disorders than those who spend less time online.

It has also been found that almost half of the Instagram users following health food accounts exhibit symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Although social media may not directly cause eating disorders, it definitely doesn’t help them. It’s typically the start of a “spiral” or relapse for people dealing with eating disorders.

If you or a loved one is at risk of developing an eating disorder or exhibiting eating disorder symptoms, you should book a complimentary consultation with the mental health experts at Icarus Behavioral Health Center in New Mexico. They will listen to your concerns and offer multiple treatment options.

Continue reading to understand the link between social media, adolescent mental health, and eating disorders, and how our experts can support your journey to recovery.

Social Media Platforms’ Impact on Body Image and Eating Disorders

In this day and age, social media has a significant impact on youth mental health. Research shows that children and adolescents spend over 6 to 8 hours online every day. Even though the minimum age to have a social media presence is 13, 42% of children under 13 have profiles, which is particularly concerning for adolescent girls.

It has also been reported that teenage girls spend an hour more on social media than boys. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 46% of teens ages 13-17 say they don’t feel good about their body image due to social media. This highlights the prevalence of eating disorders among this demographic.

Adolescents and children are vulnerable as their brains are still developing. They are shaped by their environment and experiences. They don’t have the critical eye that adults have. Therefore, they take what they see to heart. When they’re exposed to health and wellness content online, they may misinterpret the messages about their body or appearance.

The Role of Social Media in Unhealthy Eating Behaviors

With the rise of celebrity and influencer culture, young people are constantly trying to copy their favorite idols on social media platforms. These public figures often unintentionally promote unhealthy fitness standards that contribute to poor body image.

Youth today are bombarded with images and photos that hurt their body confidence. This content leads young minds to believe that only a specific body type and shape are necessary for acceptance. Here’s how social media fuels eating disorders:

Unrealistic Eating Habits

Influencers and celebs often post about consuming calorific foods on social media platforms, promoting binge eating disorder. They give the illusion that they eat like that all the time and still manage to look skinny and toned. But let’s be real, they’re not actually eating all that food in those posts. They’re either taking a bite for the camera or speeding up the video and cutting out the parts where they spit it out. They never show what goes on behind the scenes, contributing to eating disorders and negative body image.

“Before and After” Posts

Some of the most unhelpful content going around right now is ‘what I eat in a day’ and ‘before and after’ posts, especially from people who claim to have “beaten their eating disorders.” What they don’t get is that this type of content can actually be really damaging.

By sharing their past disordered habits and body alongside their current state, they’re potentially triggering young people who are desperate for quick fixes, and giving them ideas that can lead to disordered eating. For those in recovery, it’s also detrimental and can send them right back into relapse mode.

Unhealthy Beauty Standards

Social media promotes unhealthy and unachievable beauty standards, causing body image issues. Here are a few of the trends that have perpetuated eating disorders and negative body image in youth time and time again:

Thigh Gaps

The thigh gap trend, which originated in the early 2000s, is making a comeback. Characterized by a 1-2 inch gap between the thighs when the feet touch, this trend went viral on social media during the Tumblr era. However, eating disorder experts have raised body image concerns about this trend and its potential link to anorexia nervosa. They state that genetics and natural body shape largely determine whether achieving this gap is feasible or healthy.

Back in the early aughts, the thigh gap trend was heavily promoted, where adolescent girls would post images of silhouetted thighs with the coveted gap. These images were labelled with phrases like “do it for the thigh gap.”

What’s more alarming is that digging deeper into ‘thigh gap’ or ‘thinspo’ tags would reveal blogs that promote unhealthy diets and exercise to achieve the desired thinness. Some of these blogs were openly pro-ana or pro-mia, meaning they actively encouraged and supported eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Now, this trend is making a comeback on Instagram under other names, potentially triggering body image concerns.

Legging Legs

A new trend, similar to the thigh gap, known as “legging legs,” emerged in 2024. It implies that having a thigh gap is necessary to look good in leggings. Influencers are now promoting this body type as the ideal standard and setting the same unrealistic beauty expectations.

“Thinspo” or “Thinspiration”

Thinspo, or thinspiration, is a term that combines “thin” and “inspiration.” It refers to content that inspires people to lose weight and achieve a thinner appearance. This content can make people feel dissatisfied with their bodies, even if it’s not meant to be hurtful. It often disguises itself as helpful advice on nutrition or self-improvement.

Cyberbullying

According to a study, children who had been cyberbullied were twice as likely to develop self-reported eating disorders. Cyberbullying is perpetrated via social media and involves offensive name-calling, spreading false rumours, and bullying people based on their appearance or body size, which are significant risk factors for eating disorders.

The most common age of onset of eating disorders is the teenage years. Research shows, adolescents who have been cyberbullied worry about weight gain and engage in unhealthy eating behaviors, such as binge eating disorder or only consuming low-calorie foods.

Pew Research found that 59% of American teens have faced cyberbullying because of how they look. We know classic forms of bullying can lead to eating disorders. However, the link between cyberbullying and eating disorders isn’t as clear, even though kids are spending a lot of time online.

Laxative Use

In the world of body contouring treatments and weight loss drugs like Ozempic, people are looking for cheaper alternatives for similar results.

It’s shocking to see laxatives being promoted on TikTok as a weight-loss alternative to invasive treatments, which is a form of pro-eating disorder content. Some influencers claim they help with weight loss and bloating.

However, there’s no scientific evidence that laxatives lead to sustained weight loss, and promoting them can be detrimental to one’s poor mental health. Eating disorders experts are concerned that this misinformation could lead to disordered eating.

How can We Cope with the Adverse Effects of Social Media?

We need media literacy to tackle the problem of eating disorders triggered by social media. Don’t let social media form the way you see the world. There are various ways to protect you and your loved ones from its negative effects. Some of them are listed below:

Use Social Media Mindfully

Use social media in a controlled manner. Take frequent breaks and tailor your feed by following accounts that don’t impact body perception and eventually, your self-esteem. Follow body-positive influencers and unfollow accounts that damage body image, cause body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.

Set Limits

Overcome social media addiction by taking dopamine breaks. Limit your social media usage to one to two hours a day, max. Indulge in healthier physical activities. Make sure to stick to the boundaries you have set for yourself.

Turn Off Notifications

Social media notifications can cause you to keep checking your phone, even if you’re trying to limit your online time. By turning off notifications, you can reduce interruptions and distractions caused by social apps.

Stay Out of the Comments

Negative comments on social media can put you in a bad mood, and constant exposure to body shaming and bullying can ruin your mental health. The best way to protect your mental peace is to avoid reading comments, which may contain much negativity.

Be Kind to Yourself

Negative self-talk not only affects your mental health but physical health. It can lead to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, which may worsen eating disorders. Practicing self-love and treating yourself with kindness can help improve your perception of yourself and make you more satisfied with how you look.

Start Your Recovery With Icarus Today

Online health and wellness content can trigger intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, influenced by various social media trends. It’s so easy to look at fitness groups and lean body types and convince yourself you’ve got to do “better,” potentially leading to disordered eating behaviors.

It’s high time that parents and caregivers talk to their kids about the superficial nature of social media and its role in perpetuating eating disorders.

If you think you or your loved one is at risk of developing eating disorders, don’t panic. Icarus Behavioral Health New Mexico has a range of options to meet the needs of our eating disorders clients. Contact us for a confidential health assessment today!