Experts are cautioning that social media platforms can push vulnerable young people towards developing eating disorders by glorifying thinness and promoting misleading, dangerous advice about diet and nutrition.
While young women and girls are significantly more susceptible to illnesses such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, rates among men have also been on the rise.
Research indicates that the global percentage of individuals who have experienced some form of eating disorder during their lives increased from 3.5% in 2000 to 7.8% in 2018, a timeframe that directly correlates with the rise of social media platforms. For professionals attempting to aid teenagers in recovering from these disorders, the proliferation of misinformation from influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram poses a significant challenge.
“We no longer treat an eating disorder without also addressing social media use,” French dietitian and nutritionist Carole Copti told AFP.
She added, “It has become a trigger, definitely an accelerator and an obstacle to recovery.”
The causes of eating disorders are complex, involving psychological, genetic, environmental, and social factors, all of which can increase an individual’s susceptibility. Nathalie Godart, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Student Health Foundation of France, stated that social media “is not the cause but the straw that may break the camel’s back.”
By relentlessly promoting thinness, strictly controlled diets, and excessive exercise, social media weakens already vulnerable individuals and “amplifies the threat” to their health, she explained to AFP.
‘Vicious Cycle’
A recent example is the #skinnytok trend, a hashtag prevalent on TikTok that is replete with dangerous and guilt-inducing advice encouraging drastic reductions in food intake.
For Charlyne Buigues, a French nurse specializing in eating disorders, social media acts as a gateway to these problems, which become “normalized” online. She condemned videos depicting young girls with anorexia showcasing their malnourished bodies, or others with bulimia demonstrating their “purges.”
“Taking laxatives or vomiting are presented as a perfectly legitimate way to lose weight when actually they increase the risk of cardiac arrest,” Buigues warned. Eating disorders can severely damage the heart, lead to infertility and other health complications, and have been linked to suicidal behavior.
Research has found that anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disease. Furthermore, eating disorders are the second leading cause of premature death among 15- to 24-year-olds in France, according to the country’s health insurance agency.
Copti highlighted that social media creates a “vicious cycle.”
“People suffering from eating disorders often have low self-esteem. But by exposing their thinness from having anorexia on social media, they gain followers, views, likes… and this will perpetuate their problems and prolong their denial,” she elaborated. This can be particularly true when such content generates income.
Buigues recounted the case of a young woman who regularly live-streamed herself throwing up on TikTok and “explained that the platform paid her and uses that money to buy groceries.”
‘Completely Indoctrinated’
Copti also noted that social media makes recovering from eating disorders “more difficult, more complicated and take longer.” This is partly due to young people’s tendency to believe the misleading or fake diet advice that saturates online platforms.
Copti described consultations with her patients as feeling like she is facing a trial.
“I have to constantly justify myself and fight to make them understand that no, it is not possible to have a healthy diet eating only 1,000 calories — that is half what they need — or that no, it is not normal to skip meals,” she said.
“The patients are completely indoctrinated — and my 45-minute weekly consultation is no match for spending hours every day on TikTok,” she added.
Godart warned about the rise of individuals posing as “pseudo-coaches,” disseminating incorrect, “absurd,” and potentially illegal nutrition advice.
“These influencers carry far more weight than institutions. We’re constantly struggling to get simple messages across about nutrition,” she said, while also emphasizing the availability of lifelines for those in need.
Buigues takes it upon herself to regularly report problematic content on Instagram but expressed frustration that it “serves no purpose.”
“The content remains online and the accounts are rarely suspended — it’s very tiring,” she said.
The nurse has even advised her patients to delete their social media accounts, particularly TikTok.
“It may seem radical but until young people are better informed, the app is too dangerous,” she concluded.
