December 26, 2022

Social media and eating disorders: dangerous two-way street (Mirage News)

Mirage News: Social media and eating disorders: dangerous two-way street. “The influence of social media on the risk and development of eating disorders is well-documented – but does this go both ways? A new research paper from the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Thompson Institute is examining that relationship in reverse, with a new question: How are eating disorders affecting the way people interact with social media?”

Research & Opinion 0
December 13, 2022

Facebook knew Instagram was pushing girls to dangerous content: internal document (CBS News)

CBS News: Facebook knew Instagram was pushing girls to dangerous content: internal document. “In 2021, according to the document, an Instagram employee ran an internal investigation on eating disorders by opening a false account as a 13-year-old girl looking for diet tips. She was led to graphic content and recommendations to follow accounts titled ‘skinny binge’ and ‘apple core anorexic.’ Other internal memos show Facebook employees raising concerns about company research that revealed Instagram made 1-in-3 teen girls feel worse about their bodies, and that teens who used the app felt higher rates of anxiety and depression. “

Security & Legal Issues 0
April 14, 2022

BuzzFeed News: Toxic Pro–Eating Disorder Accounts On Instagram Could Be Reaching Nearly 20 Million Users, A Report Says

BuzzFeed News: Toxic Pro–Eating Disorder Accounts On Instagram Could Be Reaching Nearly 20 Million Users, A Report Says. “Instagram’s recommendation algorithms push pro-anorexia and disordered eating content to millions of users, including those whose bios identify them as under 13 years old, according to a new report by Fairplay, an advocacy organization focused on children’s digital wellness.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
December 21, 2021

The Verge: WSJ’s deep dive into eating disorder rabbit holes on TikTok explains a sudden policy change

The Verge: WSJ’s deep dive into eating disorder rabbit holes on TikTok explains a sudden policy change. “A troubling report from the Wall Street Journal digs into the personal experiences of young girls who were sent down rabbit holes of extreme weight loss challenges, purging techniques, and deadly diets through TikTok, contributing to the development of eating disorders, or making existing ones worse. The WSJ did its own experiment to see how TikTok’s algorithm can potentially promote this kind of harmful content — its findings may explain TikTok’s sudden decision to alter the way its video recommendation system operates.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
December 9, 2021

CNET: Instagram and TikTok are failing everyone with an eating disorder

CNET: Instagram and TikTok are failing everyone with an eating disorder. “Dr. Jason Nagata has seen it happen time and again. As an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, he treats teenagers who’ve been hospitalized because of their eating disorders. Even as patients lie in their hospital beds, he says, many still post and share dieting and weight loss content on social media.”

Research & Opinion 0
November 14, 2021

Lifehacker: What Parents Need to Know About Eating Disorder Content on Social Media

Lifehacker: What Parents Need to Know About Eating Disorder Content on Social Media. “With eating disorders already on the rise among teens during the pandemic, many experts have found that TikTok exacerbates the risk of falling into eating disordered behaviors. Even though TikTok attempts to censor pro-ana videos, a February 2021 study found that even the ‘anti-pro-anorexia’ videos on TikTok paradoxically lead the users to emulate these ‘guilty’ behaviors. To further understand this phenomenon, and to find out what concerned parents should know about it, I spoke with Dr. Alix Timko, a psychologist in the department of child and adolescent psychiatry at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who focuses on eating disorders, as well as Dr. Melissa Coffin, the senior director of clinical programming at Monte Nido & Affiliates.”

Research & Opinion 0
October 23, 2021

New York Times: Eating Disorders and Social Media Prove Difficult to Untangle

New York Times: Eating Disorders and Social Media Prove Difficult to Untangle. “On Tuesday, executives from YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat are scheduled to testify before a Senate subcommittee about the effects of their products on children. They are expected to face questions about how they moderate content that might encourage disordered eating, and how their algorithms might promote such content.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
October 5, 2021

CNN: Instagram promoted pages glorifying eating disorders to teen accounts

CNN: Instagram promoted pages glorifying eating disorders to teen accounts. “Proof that Instagram is not only failing to crack down on accounts promoting extreme dieting and eating disorders, but actively promotes those accounts, comes as Instagram and its parent company Facebook (FB) are facing intense scrutiny over the impact they have on young people’s mental health.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
September 13, 2021

Loughborough University: New animation aims to help people with eating disorders safely navigate social media

Loughborough University: New animation aims to help people with eating disorders safely navigate social media. “Researchers from Loughborough University have teamed up with UK charity Beat to create an animated video that explores how social media affects people with an eating disorder. The short film, released today (Monday 13 September), looks at how social media can be both harmful and helpful, and provides useful advice for those being negatively affected by what they see online and to support recovery.”

Useful Stuff 0
July 28, 2021

‘Anorexia coach’: sexual predators online are targeting teens wanting to lose weight. Platforms are looking the other way (The Conversation)

The Conversation: ‘Anorexia coach’: sexual predators online are targeting teens wanting to lose weight. Platforms are looking the other way. “My ongoing research, coupled with other media reports, indicates an opportunity for anacoaches has risen in the past few years. My analysis showed that on Twitter alone there are about 300 unique requests for anacoaches around the world daily. Anacoaches operate on numerous channels, including established social platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, Tumblr, and Kik. Despite this, these platforms haven’t addressed the problem.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
March 7, 2021

“In many ways it’s been disastrous”: COVID pandemic provides perfect storm for Americans with eating disorders (CBS News)

CBS News: “In many ways it’s been disastrous”: COVID pandemic provides perfect storm for Americans with eating disorders. “Like many essential employees, Jessica, a grocery worker and graduate student in Atlanta, has been “extremely overworked” during the coronavirus pandemic. Overwhelmed by stress, she’s fallen back into bad habits to cope. Jessica, who is being identified by her first name only to preserve her anonymity, has struggled with bulimia for over a decade.”

COVID-19 0
March 2, 2021

EurekAlert: Excessive social media use linked to binge eating in US preteens

EurekAlert: Excessive social media use linked to binge eating in US preteens. “The study, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders on March 1, found that each additional hour spent on social media was associated with a 62% higher risk of binge-eating disorder one year later. It also found that each additional hour spent watching or streaming television or movies led to a 39% higher risk of binge-eating disorder one year later.”

Research & Opinion 0

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