New article reflects association between social media and disordered eating

Just last week, a new study out of Australia was published looking at the relationship between social media (SM) use and disordered eating (DE) in young adolescents. It’s true, most young people, especially in the New York metro area have cell phones. Caretakers want to be able to contact their kids during the busy week. It allows for open communication and even some school related activities on the go. However, cell phones provide constant access to social media. More and more research is showing is that over-access to social media may be harmful. Most of us are familiar with the growing access to information, and images available on the internet. But how is it affecting our children’s relationship with food and their bodies?

Simon Wilksch, a PhD out of Australia wanted to look at this relationship further. 996 students in grades 7 and 8, both boys and girls were assessed using validated questionnaires. Researchers looked into usage of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Tumblr. Disordered eating habits were reported in 51.7% of girls and 45.0% of boys, strict exercise and meal skipping specifically were reported the most (Wilksch et al, 2019). 75.4% for girls and 69.9% of boys had at least one social media account, Instagram being the most common. A greater number of social media accounts was associated with higher disordered eating scores for both cognitions and behaviors (Wilksch et al, 2019). Were talking over half of students, these are large numbers!

Prior to the cell phone craze, studies have looked at how magazines and television can influence body image and the idea of looking different. Martin and colleagues in 2010, found that 69% of American elementary school girls said magazine pictures influenced their ideal body shape. 47% said the photos made them want to lose weight.

What to do with this information? Whether you are a young adult, caretaker, practitioner; here are some pointers on how to deal with social media and its influence.

Be Mindful with Media: Surround yourself with positive accounts, and images that make you feel good and inspired. Don’t be afraid to block or unfollow accounts that may be upsetting or cause you to feel less good about yourself.
Build Boundaries: Don’t be afraid to create boundaries or limitations with screens, social media access in or outside the home. As the caretaker or parent, that is absolutely within your role!
Cut Down Screen Time: Most cell phones, Ipads, etc these days have timers or monitors for screen time. Pick a limit (example: 30 minutes a day). Once that limit it reached - put it away! Encourage reading, play time and activity vs perusing social media.

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/media-eating-disorders
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31797420