Social media is an amazing way to connect with our friends and loved ones from all around the world. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, social media has allowed us to stay connected during a time where we have not been able to interact with others face-to-face.
Apps such as Facebook and Instagram allow us to stay in touch with our peers, while apps like TikTok offer short, entertaining (and sometimes educational!) videos rather than a peer-to-peer connection. Yes, social media has offered us social interaction before and during the pandemic, but has it been harmful to those living with an eating disorder? Has the use of social media increased the risk of individuals developing an eating disorder?
Watch the Video!
Social Media Does Not Portray Real Life
While social media can be used in a positive way, it can also be harmful as it portrays highly unrealistic ideals of beauty and body size. Social media and diet culture are intertwined. Not only are unrealistic ideals highlighted, they are reinforced by likes and positive comments making it seem like a goal to be strived for. However, based on research, it is a fact that people are more likely to post pictures of themselves in which they are portrayed positively. This perpetuates unrealistic ideals by presenting a false reality.
Eating Disorders
So how does social media use have anything to do with eating disorders? Key predictors of eating disorders include a social pressure for thinness and internalization of the thin ideal. On social media, the thin ideal is an ever-present pressure and can easily become a personal value. Social media can impact body image. Not only do social media sites like Instagram have millions of photos uploaded every day, they also can be highly edited to represent the thin ideal. It is now easier than ever to compare your body to whomever you want online. Possibly edited versions of your idol are on your phone whenever you choose to browse their profile. So then it becomes a vicious cycle.
TikTok
TikTok Algorithm
You’ve probably heard your child talk about the social media platform TikTok. The reason we chose to speak specifically about the TikTok app is because its content is less monitored than other social media sites.
TikTok has a “for you” page that generates TikTok videos based on an algorithm – it is important to note that your child cannot control their “for you” page. The personalization of the “for you” page actually stimulates more brain activity in your child than other non-personalized pages on social media. The algorithm of the “for you” page is based on your child’s interactions on the app, their account settings as well as their phone settings, how long they watch a video, any negative feedback and the recommendation system. The algorithm also tracks what your child searches on their phone. From this information, they create a highly personalized “for you” page for your child. If your child sees content that they do not enjoy and do not want to see again, they can indicate this on the app. However, they cannot indicate this until after they’ve actually consumed the content.
For example, if your child searches “how do I get help for an eating disorder?” on Google, TikTok may use this search to generate TikToks for your child’s “for you” page. However, these TikToks may not focus on eating disorder recovery. Instead, they may encourage eating disorder behaviours. Unfortunately, if this happens, then your child will be consuming information from other eating disorder brains.
Folks living with an eating disorder have what we call an “eating disorder brain” and a “well brain”. An eating disorder brain encourages eating disorder behaviours. Imagine how strong your child’s eating disorder brain can become if they consume content from other eating disorder brains. Even though your child was searching about eating disorder recovery, TikTok may use these keywords to generate content that can negatively impact your child’s eating disorder recovery.
Check out TikTok Yourself!
If you are interested in seeing what kind of content your child may be consuming on TikTok, download TikTok and follow some of the hashtags. Possible hashtags include #ed and #edtiktok. You may notice that some of the content under these hashtags is inspirational and motivating. However, a lot of the content is actually harmful. This will help you gain an understanding of the kind of content your child may be consuming, and the kind of content that is available on TikTok.
Should We Not Allow Our Child on Social Media?
At Change Creates Change Eating Disorder Care, parents often ask us if their child should or should not be allowed to use social media. Yes, blocking social media apps from your child’s phone is an option. An alternative option is for you to allow your child to have access to social media apps on their phone. You can ask your child what kinds of apps they use, and what they use the apps for. Possible questions you can ask your child is whether they use their social media apps to stay in touch with peers, to learn more about topics that interest them, or just for pure entertainment.
Letting your child have social media apps on their phone will help your child build resilience. It is a way for your child to gain critical thinking skills about the kind of content they consume online, which will help them to determine if the content they are consuming is rooted in science and meaningfully contributes to their life. Ultimately, they will gain independence and maturity if you allow them to access social media on their phones.
Reduce Screen Time
If your child uses social media apps, you can encourage them to reduce their screen time. Your child may use social media as a coping strategy. If this is the case, you can help your child find more creative outlets for coping strategies. Possible creative outlets include knitting, colouring books, drawing, and arts and crafts. Family activities can also replace screen time. Examples of family activities include playing board games, playing cards, or going for a neighborhood walk.
Social Media and COVID-19
There has been a recent uptick in eating disorders. Unfortunately, there may be an association between increased social media usage and the recent increase in eating disorders. There have been social media posts that refer to weight gain during the pandemic – this so-called weight gain is usually worded as a spin-off of the “freshman-15”. Now that more folks are cooking from home more often, there have also been more social media posts around food and home cooking.
These types of social media posts can inadvertently promote diet culture and disordered eating which can cause people to pay more attention to their food consumption and weight. The promotion of disordered eating is a large concern because it is a risk factor for eating disorders. For individuals living with an eating disorder, these posts can be very triggering.
Change Creates Change Eating Disorder Care has a free, on-demand webinar for parents. It is hosted by Jillian Walsh, our Clinical Director.
