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Eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, have long been a significant mental health challenge, but experts warn that social media has made these issues even more pervasive, particularly among young people. The rise of platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube has transformed the way young people consume information and interact with their peers, but this shift is not without serious consequences. Research has shown that the percentage of people worldwide who have experienced an eating disorder increased dramatically over the past two decades, coinciding with the rise of social media. Between 2000 and 2018, the percentage of people worldwide affected by eating disorders nearly doubled, growing from 3.5% to 7.8%.
Social Media: A Dangerous Accelerator for Eating Disorders
While social media may not be the direct cause of eating disorders, experts argue that it plays a crucial role in accelerating these problems for vulnerable individuals. The highly curated and often distorted realities presented on social media can create immense pressure for young people to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram often glorify extreme thinness, relentlessly promoting diet tips, workout routines, and body transformations that may seem harmless on the surface but are laden with dangerous advice.
French dietitian and nutritionist Carole Copti explains that social media is now an integral part of the treatment for eating disorders. “We no longer treat an eating disorder without also addressing social media use,” she explains. For those already suffering from disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, the endless images of “perfect” bodies and restrictive eating habits exacerbate the issues they are facing, often hindering recovery. The issue is so prevalent that Copti believes it has become an obstacle to recovery. “Social media has become a trigger, definitely an accelerator, and an obstacle to recovery,” she adds.
The Influence of Misinformation
Social media influencers often promote extreme and unverified diet and exercise advice that can be dangerous to young, impressionable followers. This misinformation, which spreads like wildfire through viral posts and videos, can lead to harmful behaviors like extreme calorie restriction, excessive exercise, or even the use of dangerous substances such as laxatives or diet pills. One example of this is the trend known as #skinnytok, which encourages people to drastically reduce their caloric intake, sometimes to the point of starvation. Such content can be guilt-inducing and dangerous, especially when presented by influencers who seem to live “perfect” lives despite their unhealthy habits.
For Charlyne Buigues, a French nurse specializing in eating disorders, social media platforms serve as a gateway to normalizing dangerous behaviors. “Taking laxatives or vomiting are presented as a perfectly legitimate way to lose weight when actually they increase the risk of cardiac arrest,” Buigues states. These actions, which might seem normalized online, can have life-threatening consequences, including irreversible damage to the heart, infertility, and even death. Anorexia, in particular, has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder.
The Vicious Cycle: Social Media and Low Self-Esteem
One of the key reasons social media has such a profound impact on those with eating disorders is its relationship with self-esteem. People who suffer from eating disorders often have low self-worth and use their appearance as a measure of their value. Unfortunately, the validation they receive from social media—whether in the form of likes, followers, or comments—can become a powerful reinforcement for their disordered behaviors. As Nathalie Godart, a psychiatrist specializing in child and adolescent health, explains, social media can create a “vicious cycle” where individuals gain attention for their unhealthy bodies and behaviors. This further feeds into their distorted self-image, prolonging denial and making recovery even harder.
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There are even cases where influencers intentionally exploit their eating disorders for financial gain. Buigues recounts the story of a young woman who regularly broadcasts herself purging live on TikTok, using the platform’s monetary rewards to fund her behavior. In this case, social media not only perpetuates disordered eating but also monetizes it, making it even more difficult to break free from the cycle.
The Struggle of Recovery: Social Media’s Hindering Role
For those trying to recover from eating disorders, the impact of social media can make the process significantly harder. Dietitian Carole Copti notes that in her consultations, patients often arrive with deeply ingrained misconceptions about nutrition, much of which is influenced by the harmful advice they encounter online. “I have to constantly justify myself and fight to make them understand that no, it is not possible to have a healthy diet eating only 1,000 calories,” she explains. Unfortunately, these conversations often fall short in comparison to the countless hours spent on TikTok or Instagram, where misleading advice is constantly reinforced.
Experts are also worried about the rise of pseudo-coaches—individuals who present themselves as nutrition experts while sharing harmful or completely false diet information. These influencers hold more sway over young people than many health professionals, making it even more difficult for institutions to counteract misinformation effectively. Godart highlights this issue, pointing out that these influencers, despite spreading potentially dangerous and illegal advice, are often more trusted than legitimate health resources.
The Dangers of Content Moderation
While some professionals, like Buigues, have taken it upon themselves to report harmful content, she says that the lack of effective moderation makes these efforts futile. “The content remains online and the accounts are rarely suspended,” she laments. As a result, many health professionals advise their patients to take more drastic measures, such as deleting their social media accounts altogether—especially TikTok. While such measures may seem extreme, Buigues believes they are necessary until young people are better informed about the dangers lurking on these platforms.
