According to scientific studies, eating problems have become more common in adolescent girls over the past 50 years. Teenagers nowadays are more inclined than ever to obsess about their body image, shape, size, and weight. As a result, many of them diet to reduce weight (Wood). The causes of these issues with body image and weight are not quite understood. However, several ideas have been put forward as potential contributing factors to the emergence of eating disorders.

As of right now, one of the biggest reasons for increased eating problems and body dysphoria in teenagers is social media. Children and teenagers nowadays live in a world that is overrun with mass media, including television, series of apps, videos, magazines, and the internet. Unfortunately, throughout the media, there are a lot of social standards that are pressed on “how individuals should look and dress” to keep up with the latest trends. This frequently builds unrealistic goals and standards for younger viewers.  

In a study performed by Cohen et al. (2019), 227 young women aged 18-25 were surveyed to explore the relationship between appearance-focused activities on social media (such as posting selfies and comparing one's appearance to others) and body image concerns. Participants completed measures of appearance-focused activities on Facebook and Instagram, body image concerns, and self-objectification. The researchers found that engagement in appearance-focused activities on both Facebook and Instagram was positively associated with body image concerns and self-objectification (Cohen et al.).  In another study performed by Turner et al. (2019) content analysis was used to examine the prevalence of sponsored content related to diet and weight loss on Instagram. The researchers collected data on the top 20 most popular posts from the hashtags #sponsored and #ad, and found that nearly one-third of the posts were related to diet or weight loss products. The study highlights the potential influence of sponsored content on social media on young women's attitudes toward body image and weight (Turner et al.). Another study conducted by a Holland, G., & Tiggemann, M. (2016) was a systematic review of existing research on the impact of social networking site use on body image and disordered eating outcomes. The researchers identified 20 studies that met their inclusion criteria and analyzed the results to determine common themes and trends. They found that exposure to images of thin and idealized bodies on SNS was positively associated with body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls. The study also found that peer influence and social comparison played a role in the relationship between SNS use and body image outcomes.

These findings, which use a range of approaches, show how access to unrealistic and frequently unhealthy body pictures can affect young people's judgments of their own size and shape as well as their individual sense of pleasure with their appearance. The impact of the media could lead to the emergence of particular, perhaps dangerous, weight loss behaviors.

Clearly, these studies demonstrate that young people are more susceptible to the ideas and pictures presented in the media. Many young children and teenagers are unable to tell the difference between what they see and what is genuine. For example, young people typically don't know that the fashion business frequently uses retouching and digital augmentation to portray the "ideal" male and female shape. These representations advocate for unachievable goals that are unrealistic. Doctors should often ask patients about their media-related behaviors, such as their television and video viewing, video game use, internet use, time spent listening to different programs/podcasts, and the publications they read. Health care experts, parents, educators, school administrators, and other professionals should be knowledgeable about the varieties of media that teenagers are exposed to, their contents, and the health hazards related to media (Academy of Pediatrics). Those who are worried about how the media affects their body image, self-esteem, relationship with food, and eating disorders should think about a variety of initiatives, including campaigns, media activism, and training in media literacy (Brown). Such therapies must be assessed in light of how the media portrays the idealized and unreachable beauty concepts that younger individuals are exposed to, as well as how this impacts eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors. People, however, cannot ignore the reality that the media can be a crucial instrument for prevention and wellness efforts. To understand more about the way media information is attended to, processed, and integrated into children's and teenagers’ healthy development, long-term study is required. 

Works Cited

“Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Public Education.” Pediatrics, vol. 104, no. 2 Pt 1, 1 Aug. 1999, pp. 341–343, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10429023/. 

Brown, Jane D, and Elizabeth M Witherspoon. “The Mass Media and American Adolescents’ Health.” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 31, no. 6, Supplement, 1 Dec. 2002, pp. 153–170, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X02005074?casa_token=_W5dRimvhc0AAAAA:4yD0vplxxnxswtUmN4FjHrdhYLxIyeYrKtIkkLPzqxaO8FoPijyk_F53VEm_X16ygDNrkAX-4w#, doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(02)00507-4.

Cohen, R., Newton-John, T., & Slater, A. (2019). The relationship between Facebook and Instagram appearance-focused activities and body image concerns in young women. Body Image, 28, 19-24.

Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood. Body Image, 13, 38-45.

Holland, G., & Tiggemann, M. (2016). A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body Image, 17, 100-110.

Mental Health First Aid USA. “Study Shows Social Media May Play a Role in Eating Disorders among Teens.” Mental Health First Aid, 25 Feb. 2020, www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2020/02/study-shows-social-media-may-play-a-role-in-eatingng-disorders-among-teens/.

Perloff, R. M. (2014). Social media effects on young women's body image concerns: Theoretical perspectives and an agenda for research. Sex Roles, 71(11-12), 363-37

Turner, P. G., Lefevre, C. E., & Stride, C. B. (2019). #Sponsored: The emergence of influencer marketing on Instagram. International Journal of Advertising, 38(4), 583-597.

Wood, Katherine C., et al. “Body Image Dissatisfaction in Preadolescent Children.” Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, vol. 17, no. 1, Jan. 1996, pp. 85–100, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0193397396900076, doi.org/10.1016/s0193-3973(96)90007-6. Accessed 7 Nov. 201.9