How your social media feed may be sneakily impacting what you eat

Eating Disorders vs. Disordered Eating 

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that can lead to severe consequences, including death, if left untreated. There are a wide range of eating disorders, but the most common ones are binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa. Despite popular misconceptions, eating disorders affect people with all sorts of body types—in fact, according to the ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders), “less than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as ‘underweight.’” The ANAD estimates that 28.8 million Americans will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives. 

But many millions more, though not diagnosed with an eating disorder, show signs of “disordered eating.” Disordered eating is considered a risk-factor for developing an eating disorder and is characterized by a preoccupation with food and weight that results in severely disrupted eating patterns. Studies show that social media use contributes to patterns of disordered eating. 

The Role of Social Media in Disordered Eating 

In one peer reviewed article published in The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, it was noted that “over half of adolescent girls reported the use of unhealthy weight control behaviors during the previous year,” including things like “meal skipping, fasting, and smoking.” It’s hard to say for sure how much of this is influenced by social media, but a clear link has been established. 

The researchers who authored Social Media, Thin-Ideal, Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Attitudes: An Exploratory Analysis found that college-aged women who spend more time on social media sites experience higher rates of body-dissatisfaction, which are “strongly associated with disordered eating attitudes.” Because the “thin and muscular” body type is largely idealized on social media, many young women report refraining from meals (and engaging in other unhealthy eating habits) to attain this beauty standard. This is just one way that the airbrushed world of social media can negatively affect your view of eating – and most of the time it’s the sneaky, subtle messages of discontentment rather than overt messaging.

Setting Boundaries With Social Media 

Though these studies focused primarily on adolescent and college-aged women, the truth is, all of us are susceptible to body-dissatisfaction—particularly when our feeds are flooded with filtered selfies, photos of toned people posing strategically at the beach, and muscular mirror pics at the gym. One practical way to cultivate body-acceptance is to limit our time on social media and encourage others to do the same, especially if we begin to sense feelings of inferiority and self-loathing creeping in. 

In addition to spending less time on social media, we can be “choosier” about which accounts we follow. Does seeing the photos of a particular “influencer” or celebrity trigger feelings of shame about your body? Are you growing more discontent with your body over time, even if your body isn’t changing? Consider sharing that with a trusted friend, family member, or therapist, and unfollow accounts that you suspect are part of the problem. 

Instead of refraining from meals to attain an idealized beauty standard that pervades social media, make an effort to nourish not only your body but also your mind and heart by refraining from social media when it becomes a stumbling block to giving yourself the care you need.

Verified Reliable Sources for The Content in this Article:
• National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders
• Dr. Kristen Fuller, MD via VeryWell Mind
• Social Media, Thin-Ideal, Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Attitudes: An Exploratory Analysis via The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Prevention of Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating: What Next? via The Journal of Treatment & Prevention

Put It Into Practice

What would it look like in practice to set boundaries with social media? Here are some ideas to get you started:

Try A Social Media Fast
Instead of fasting from food in order to attain an unrealistic beauty standard, “fast” from social media in order to guard against body-dissatisfaction and disordered eating. This can be a 24-hour period each week (like a social media “sabbath”) or a longer stretch of time (like a full 7 days or a month). Adopt a posture of non-judgemental curiosity. How do you feel when you’re not on social media? What can you learn?

Set A ScreenTime Limit
How many minutes per day are you comfortable spending on social media? We all know how easy it is to think we don’t spend much time on our phones, only to check our Screen Time App to discover the truth. Pick a number, and give a friend or family member your screen time passcode. That way, when you exceed your limit, you can’t override your boundary in a moment of weakness. 

Designate A Social Media Time
With this option, instead of picking a day of the week, or time of the day, when you’re not on social media, you pick a day or time that you are. What does that mean? Far less time on social media—which may prove to be just what you need. For example, you could choose 10am and 7pm to be your two times of the day where you check social media; maybe give yourself 5-10 minutes at each time. Or you could choose Fridays as your “social media day.” Who knows? You may never want to go back.

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Luke Lewallen, Mental Health Counselor, Therapist