Summary:
Social media usage has increased in the lives of
adolescents and also affects adolescents’ mental health.
(1) The number of pro-eating disorder communities on
social media has increased, which encourages users
to participate in disordered eating…
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Social media usage has increased in the lives of
adolescents and also affects adolescents’ mental health.
(1) The number of pro-eating disorder communities on
social media has increased, which encourages users
to participate in disordered eating behavior. Many
parents and educators are unaware of the scope of
these pro-eating disorder communities and how these
communities affect teens. (2) In Western societies,
specifically the United States, mass media contributes
to the appearance, body shape, and weight concerns of
individuals. This dissemination of ideal body imagery in
the mass media, such as magazines and social media,
increases the likelihood of an individual developing an
eating disorder. (3) New data suggest that there is a
relationship between an individual’s body perceptions
and their perceived “perfect” body type, such as a
smaller waist and a larger bust for females, and a
muscular figure for men. (4) The data linking media
exposure to eating disorders (EDs) has increased over
the last decades after the rise of supermodels in the
1900s. Women’s body anxieties have increased when
they consume images of supermodels with idealized
body mass indexes and weight proportions.