Teens at Risk: Social Media and Eating Disorders
Having seen the interrupting and distracting qualities of our devices, most of us have become a lot more careful when it comes to the amount of free time we spend on our smartphones.
The subject is even more relevant for parents and educators concerned over the inadvertent effects that various social media channels are having on the young people - who are notoriously online at all times.
Over-investment in appearance, the lead cause to body issues
One recent data collection (in Hong Kong) showed that 93% of primary and secondary school children have a social media presence, with many checking their feeds more than 9 hrs a day on average. If not appalling, those numbers are significant as other studies show a strong correlation between the time adolescents spend on social media and the development of mental health issues, such as teen depression, body image issues and eating disorders.
Arguably, more time spent on social media equals more exposure to potentially damaging or misleading content, such as appearance-objectifying posts and images of unrealistic ideals one sees on Instagram or Facebook.
Social comparison as a part of identity formation process (…)
Studies show that when teens scroll through the carefully-curated feed of their peers, they engage in the process of appearance comparison, where “internalising” the enhanced and often altered images can lead to body-dissatisfaction and negative self-evaluations.
Subsequently, the failure to measure up to the portrayed ideals cause many teens to engage in dieting attempts which can lead to disordered eating behaviours. According to NEDA data, more than half of teenage girls and approximately 1/3 of boys engage in eating disordered behaviours such as detoxing, crash dieting, taking laxatives, and self-induced vomiting.
Social media shaping teens’ identity concepts
Why young people and adolescents are particularly susceptible to suffer from body image dissatisfaction is linked to the delicate developmental stage of identity formation, where teens are figuring out what is normal, accepted and unaccepted around them. In this way, social media platforms have become central for the youth’s development of self-representation skills which help to form their values, beliefs and attitudes. The problems arise when young people attest their self-esteem with the amount of likes, comments and other self-affirming feedback from their peers.
According to a recent cross-gender survey, up to 35% of teenagers report worrying about people “tagging” them in unattractive photos or feeling bad about themselves when nobody comments or “likes” the photos they post. Such reciprocal process is called social surveillance where in addition to comparing themselves to peers, young people also critically examine their own self-representation and how the uploaded content would be perceived by the peers.
Unsurprisingly, many parental figures and educators are concerned about those born into the digital age vulnerable to self-objectification and over-investment in their appearances, the main factors to developing body issues and eating disordered behaviours.
How to engage adolescents in self-protective social media use
Social media is undeniably a big part of learning and creative life for many teenagers and children. The way in which young people engage with those platforms can either support or negatively impact their body image and mental health in general.
Strategies for Effective Use of Social Media
One thing we could do is helping young people to develop a better radar to discriminate against misleading information and avoid associated mental health risks.
Some of the below strategies may provide for effective use of social media to support adolescent’s body esteem:
1. Creating a body-positive social media feed
Blocking or unfollowing the negative or triggering accounts can help young people with a more intentional use of social media. Teens can be encouraged to flood their feeds with body-positive content.
2. How it makes them feel
Social media posts or specific accounts could serve parents as a reference point in engaging teens with topics around difficult issues. Parents can take this one step further by engaging teens in self-reflection on how different types of posts and images make them feel (ex.: lonely, ugly, envious, happy, etc.). Often teens tend to idolise the celebrities or influencers they follow on social media, asking what do they like about them could also help in accessing important topics around thin-ideals, digitally altered or sexualised projections.
3. Assume your teen is an expert
Social media topics can be a very private subject to teenagers, and talks about limiting screen time are often met with resistance and shutting down. Approaching topics around social media while making your child feel like an expert in technology could really help with that defensiveness. A recent survey suggested that on average, 71% of adolescents had done something to hide their online behavior, with about a half either clearing their browser history or hiding the screen when mom or dad walked by.
4. Flexible mediation and realistic limits
Speaking openly about the reasons to set some clear limits around the types of content children are allowed to access or times of day they can use social media can also provide an opportunity to speak about more delicate issues around the concerning problem. Studies show that parental mediation strategies are most effective when delivered in an open-minded and supportive manner without undermining teens’ autonomy.
5. Be a consistent role model
When it comes to setting rules, being a consistent role model with how, why, and when to use social media could also help the child in navigating the appropriate relationship with their devices. It is no secret that many parents are active social media users themselves and it can be often difficult to disconnect from work WhatsApp or emails during the shared family time at home. Just as social media can normalise the adverse attitudes around many social issues, we, as parents, have a choice to exercise inclusive and respectful behaviours at home.
6. Following support organisations and people in recovery
Making connections with other people in recovery from eating disorders or the associated support groups and organisations can provide support and community to share resources. Studies show that exposure to a broader range of body positive content can lead to greater body appreciation and help in decreasing body dissatisfaction.
Find more resources at Free Eating Disorders Support Group
Photo by Josh Rose on Unsplash
edrecovery.hk@gmail.com