Social Media’s Effect on Eating Disorders: According to a Therapist

Does Social Media Cause Eating Disorders?

50 studies in 17 countries have shown that social media causes body image problems and eating disorders. Social media platforms often depict idealized body types and beauty standards, which can contribute to body dissatisfaction and distorted body image among users. This leads to comparison, low self-esteem, and the development of eating disorders, as well as exacerbated symptoms for people with pre-existing eating disorders.

Thinspo, pro-ana and pro-mia content, as well as beauty and fitness influencers, have been shown to contribute to this link, creating a significant global health crisis.² Recently, the body-positivity and body-neutrality movements have been pushing for change in the social media realm, but many platforms still fail to show a diversity of healthy body shapes and sizes.

How Can Social Media Trigger an Eating Disorder?

There are many ways that social media exposure can trigger eating disorders, including creating a distorted perception of reality, isolation, exclusion, and cyberbullying.

Here are six ways social media can trigger an eating disorder:

1. Creates Unrealistic Perceptions

Social media can cause people to believe that “normal” people can look like fashion models due to the edited images seen on sites like Instagram. Regular exposure to edited and photo-shopped images gives individuals the impression that they must look like that to be accepted. Young people have an especially hard time recognizing that these images aren’t an accurate reflection of reality.

Social media is designed to reward individuals who are seen as beautiful and popular through increased followers and “likes.” Attempting to fit social media beauty standards to gain followers and “likes” can cause a person to develop an eating disorder.

2. Access to Pro-Anorexia & Pro-Bulimia Content

The existence of pro-eating disorder sites that promote anorexic and bulimic behavior among their followers certainly can trigger eating disorders. The purpose of these sites is to encourage people to engage in eating disorder behaviors such as restricting and excessive exercise to gain extremely thin bodies.

Images of emaciated individuals are posted as motivation for young people (i.e., thinspo) to motivate them to stick to their restrictive eating plans and become more “successful” with these disorders that they call lifestyles. These types of images, tips, and tricks can be found on many social media platforms, such as Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram.

3. Causes Cyberbullying

As many as 65% of people with eating disorders report that bullying contributed to the development of their disorders.³ Cyberbullying does not necessarily cause eating disorders, but it most certainly worsens anxiety and depression and reduces self-esteem, which can lead to disordered eating or an eating disorder.

In recent years, children and teens are often cyberbullied for having bodies that fall short of the unrealistic standards of social media. Cyberbullying in the form of fat shaming can cause a person to develop an eating disorder.

4. Results in Isolation & Exclusion

Research shows that adults with eating disorders often have fewer friends and struggle with loneliness.⁴ Social media can make a person feel very isolated as they scroll through everyone’s photos and reels of being out and about with friends. Feeling left out or socially isolated can lead individuals to engage in eating-disordered behaviors as an unhealthy way to cope with their loneliness.

5. Promotion of Diet Culture & Fitness Inspiration

Diet and fitness accounts on social media often encourage unhealthy diet and lifestyle norms disguised as “healthy” and “clean” living. Diet culture and fitness inspiration also subtly promote the idea that a person’s worth is tied to their appearance. This content can lead to an increase in negative body image and unhealthy relationships with food and exercise.

6. Leads to Comparison

Scrolling through social media can lead to comparing oneself to others, which can cause a person to feel inadequate and develop low self-esteem. It is easy to begin to compare one’s own body to that of their friends or favorite social media influencers. This can lead to unhealthy eating as an attempt to change one’s appearance to match those of people seen on social media.

Examples of Social Media Causing Eating Disorders

The story of individuals developing and maintaining eating disorders due to social media is so common for eating disorder specialists that we have come to expect it. When first speaking with a client seeking care for their eating disorder, asking them about their social media usage is standard.

Here are two examples of social media and eating disorders:

1. Jane, Age 16

Jane is a sixteen-year-old female who developed anorexia after she began following clean lifestyle influencers on Instagram. Jane reported that she had previously struggled with negative body image due to being slightly overweight. Jane saw “clean eating” as her answer to what she perceived as a weight problem. She began eliminating food groups from her diet and addictively exercising throughout the week.

Jane religiously followed Instagram hashtags related to losing weight as well as YouTube videos about how to be “successful” at anorexia. After losing an alarming amount of weight, her pediatrician suggested that she seek professional counseling for a potential eating disorder. This is how Jane eventually entered into treatment for anorexia.

Following approximately 18 months of specialized treatment with a therapist and dietitian, she is doing well enough to only require periodic check-ins with her team for maintenance and relapse prevention.

2. Nicole, Age 22

A twenty-two-year-old student, Nicole, was interviewed in a 2018 documentary entitled “The Social Media Cult.⁷ She describes how social media led to the development of her eating disorder. Nicole used Instagram for what she calls “thinspo.” As a result of her social media usage, Nicole became anorexic.

She began each day by looking at images on social media of anorexic girls to motivate herself to continue dieting and exercising excessively. This resulted in consequences such as thinning hair, cold body temperature, and a poor quality of life. She eventually sought out therapy. Nicole is now recovering and speaking out against the dangers of social media.

How to Identify Unhealthy Social Media Eating Disorder Content

Social media content that encourages disordered eating can be very subtle and trigger you without you being aware of it. Learning to identify unhealthy content is important. Be cautious of images or messages that focus on unrealistic beauty or fitness standards. Limit exposure to accounts that focus on weight loss or body shaming, and only follow accounts that include diverse body types and positive messages.

Remember that social media often shows a skewed reality. If content makes you feel bad about yourself, unfollow!

How to Stay Healthy On Social Media While Dealing With an Eating Disorder

While there are certainly dangers associated with social media usage, there are ways to use it responsibly and healthfully. Over 70% of Americans regularly use some type of social media platform, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter.⁵ It is important to learn to use social media responsibly.

Healthy ways to interact with social media when dealing with an eating disorder are:

Unfollow Bad Influences

Make a point to unfollow individuals or sites that promote unhealthy attitudes about food, weight, or exercise. Blocking social media users who are prone to body shaming, food shaming, and bullying is a must. You can also block certain hashtags, such as #thinspo or #fitspo, which can help you avoid triggering content on your Discover pages.

Follow Body Positive Influencers

There are healthy social media sites that encourage body positivity and a healthy attitude of self-love and respect. This can fight against all the influencers and campaigns that encourage excessive dieting and exercise.

Stay Connected to Loved Ones

Focus on using social media to stay connected with friends and loved ones. Social media does allow us to keep in touch in real-time. However, if there are people in your life who reinforce or make your eating disorder worse, mute them so you don’t accidentally trigger yourself. Use social media to form and maintain a network of supportive people.

Take Breaks Often

Prioritize taking breaks from social media. Spending time in the real world, surrounded by people of all shapes and sizes, can be a helpful reminder that social media is curated and unrealistic. When taking a break, fill your time with activities and people who make you smile and have fun.

Don’t Judge Others’ Posts or Appearances

Avoid judging others’ opinions or appearances on social media. Do not follow or support others who do. If you observe others engaging in body shaming, speak up about it. Chat rooms, groups, or sites that participate in this type of behavior are not healthy for anyone, least of all someone with an eating disorder.

“Like” the Positive Messages You See

Reinforce others’ positive messages and accomplishments with the “like” button. Use this social media tool to support others in a healthy and meaningful way. Avoid feeding into unhealthy social norms by using the like button to promote damaging messages about body, weight, and appearance-based acceptance.

Focus on Non-Body Content

Focusing on content that is not related to body image, fitness, or food can help a person stay healthy. This can include engaging with positive and uplifting accounts, funny accounts, and people who post about art, hobbies, or other activities.

Create Your Own Content

If you are noticing a lot of unhealthy accounts that cause you to compare and feel bad about yourself, why not create your own? You can start by sharing positive, uplifting, and supportive messages that others like you could benefit from.

Delete Some Platforms Entirely

Sometimes, unfollowing certain accounts or stepping away for short breaks isn’t enough. Consider which platforms are the most triggering for you (i.e., Facebook vs. Instagram vs. Snapchat, etc.), and consider deleting your account entirely. If you are struggling to delete your account, begin by uninstalling the app from your phone or putting time constraints on how many hours you can spend on the app.

How to Protect Your Child From Social Media Eating Disorder Content

As a parent, you have a big role in protecting your child from the toxicity of social media. Protecting your child can involve educating yourself on what the dangers are, communicating with your child about these dangers, and setting boundaries around their social media use. If you feel at a loss of how to go about this, finding a family therapist to consult with can help.

Here are some tips for how to protect a child from social media eating disorder content:

• Educate yourself: Become educated about the social media platforms children and teens are using. Especially educate yourself about platforms that may promote eating disorders and unhealthy content. Stay informed about the latest features, trends and content that children are seeing.
• Have open conversations: Start having open, honest conversations about unrealistic standards and messages about body image, self-esteem, and beauty that children see on social media. Help them develop a more realistic perspective.
• Use screen controls: There are many options available for parental controls that can monitor or limit access to specific social media platforms and content. Parental controls should only be used on children and tweens. If the child is a tween, explain to them why you are doing this and how it protects them.
• Model healthy behavior: Develop your own healthy relationship with social media as well as your own body image. Avoid speaking negatively about your own body or about others. Model critical thinking when it comes to social media and the messages found there.
• Share positive content: Introduce children to social media accounts that promote healthy, positive, and encouraging content. Encourage them to follow and engage with content that helps them feel good about themselves.

How to Get Help for an Eating Disorder

Eating disorders are serious but treatable conditions. If you or someone you care about is struggling with an eating disorder, seek out a licensed professional therapist or counselor, registered dietitian, or physician specializing in eating disorders. A certified eating disorder specialist (CEDS) can assess what level of care is needed. The level of care will depend upon the severity of the eating disorder. There are several levels of care, including outpatient therapy, intensive outpatient therapy, and residential/inpatient hospitalization for eating disorders.

The eating disorder specialist can also help you assemble a team to help with treatment. An eating disorder treatment team will likely include a licensed therapist, a registered dietitian, a primary care physician, and a psychiatrist if medications are prescribed for co-occurring disorders. They may also suggest incorporating and eating disorder recovery app into your routine. You can locate eating disorder specialists via an local therapist directory. You can also contact your insurance carrier to ask for a list of qualified providers in your area.

How to Get Help For a Child With an Eating Disorder

The first step to getting help for a child with an eating disorder is to either schedule an appointment with their pediatrician for a referral to a qualified therapist or seek out a certified eating disorders specialist (CEDS). Consult your insurance carrier for a list of local providers or utilize online directories to locate nearby professionals.

A therapist will assist you in determining the appropriate level of care for your child. Depending on the severity of an eating disorder, several levels of care are available, ranging from outpatient care to hospitalization. The therapist will also make referrals for any other professionals that may be needed for your child’s treatment team.

As with adult eating disorder treatment, most treatment teams will consist of a therapist, a registered dietitian, and a medical doctor. There may also be a need for a family therapist and a psychiatrist. Some therapists may refer you and/or your child to a support group as well. Many geographic areas have support groups for family members that are also helpful for parents, spouses/partners, and siblings.