Editor’s view: Proof social media fuelling body crisis

Navigating the dangers of social media can be a minefield for young minds that are not equipped to distinguish reality from a polished, billion-dollar industry that preys on the vulnerability of teens for clicks to increase its ad revenue.

A little over 20 years ago the pressure on teens to fit a certain image or to look a certain way was not shoved down their throats by the toxic influencer culture that today sits in the palms of young people’s hands.

Navigating the dangers of social media can be a minefield for young minds that are not equipped to distinguish reality from a polished, billion-dollar industry that preys on the vulnerability of teens for clicks to increase its ad revenue.

As we reveal today, the 400 per cent increase in hospital presentations for eating disorders since the introduction of social media is a health crisis.

In 2000, 1338 people were hospitalised with an eating disorder. Push ahead to 2021 – in the midst of a pandemic – and those numbers reach 8468.

In the Queensland Health data commissioned by The Courier-Mail there is a clear correlation between increases in hospitalisations for eating disorders and the introduction of new social media platforms.

There was a clear spike in 2004 when Facebook launched, again spiking when Instagram and Snapchat came online in 2010 and 2011.

A graph showing spikes in eating order admissions at Queensland Hospitals and how they relate to the emergence of social media brands. Source: Queensland Health

The largest increase came after the release of TikTok in 2016, when admissions jumped from 3000 to more than 5000 in just two years.

The figures seem to be strong evidence of what we have long suspected – there is an undeniable relationship between social media and body image.

TikTok in particular has long concerned experts in this field.

Griffith University psychology professor Dr Veya Seekis says TikTok is the prime offender among social media platforms due to its unfettered algorithm and popularity among vulnerable, young age groups.

“Content that promotes diet, weight loss and exercise for appearance (not health), together with idealised and edited imagery, encourages a toxic body image culture on TikTok,” she said.

“TikTok is also more algorithmically driven than other image-based apps such as Instagram, which means the algorithm pushes or promotes videos that are most likely to capture users’ interests and keep them scrolling and watching by constantly learning from their behaviour and adjusting its recommendations.”

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman. Picture Lachie Millard

Queensland’s Health Minister Shannon Fentiman told The Courier-Mail that social media giants needed to do more – and she’s right.

“We have to be working with social media giants to make sure that there are healthy messages about body image,” she said.

“I know that the federal government is working with these providers and I’m prepared to do anything we can here in Queensland to promote those changes.”

Queensland Health has pulled together $40 million to establish a comprehensive network of eating disorder services, which is a good start – if you can access that support.

But more needs to be done to ensure young people have the right tools in their belts to fend off these influences they see daily.

As parents it has become increasingly important to have discussions with young people about their relationship with food while being cautious about how you speak about yourself in front of your kids.

Promoting a healthy image and a love of who you are in your own skin will help young people fend off those voices from the outside that spark unhealthy relationships with food and bodies.