The Impact of Social Media Use on the Development of Eating Disorders

Over the last decade, there has been a spike in use of social media by teenagers and adolescents. This correlates to an alarming rise in pediatric eating disorders, prompting more attention to the content being displayed online on social media. More efforts are required to understand the evolving innovations used by social media platforms and websites to attract and engage children and adolescents. Robust attempts should be made to educate providers, families, and patients to promote healthy media habits and reduce the potential for physical and psychologic harm. Youth are more at risk due to the impact of social media and exposure to unreliable health content at their developmental stage.