Adolescent Girls: Facebook Time Increases Eating Disorders

A recent study published by the University of Haifa in India researched the link between various internet habits of adolescent girls and the likelihood of eating disorders.

Professor Yael Latzer, Professor Ruth Katz and Zohar Spivak of the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences at the University of Haifa set out to research the link between eating disorders and both media exposure and self-empowerment.

The participants included 248 adolescent girls varying in age from 12 to 19 years old. The girls responded to questions regarding their internet habits, as well as their magazine reading and television viewing habits. Within the television viewing, researchers asked about the incidence of shows portraying a "Barbie" type body model. ScienceDaily also reports that "The girls also filled out questionnaires that examined their approach to slimming, bulimia, physical satisfaction or dissatisfaction, their general outlook on eating, and their sense of personal empowerment."

While the researchers did find a link between the viewing of "Barbie" type extreme models on television and in magazines and eating disorders, it was not as significant as the link between social networking site Facebook. The greater time amount spent on Facebook, "the more they suffered conditions of bulimia, anorexia, physical dissatisfaction, negative physical self-image, negative approach to eating and more of an urge to be on a weight-loss diet."

The study further researched parents' roles in the development of eating disorders relating to Facebook. The University of Haifa press release states that, "Girls whose parents were involved in their media usage; who knew what they were viewing and reading and where they were surfing on the web; who watched, surfed or read along with them; and who conducted cooperative and critical discussions with their daughters about the content of their surfing habits, showed more personal empowerment, forming a protective shield against eating disorders." They also found that the daughters of parents who were not involved were more likely to develop eating disorders. According to the Jerusalem Post, "The authors hinted that being constantly involved with Facebook promoted a single minded focus on oneself - one's looks, habits, and behaviors."

This single study is indicative of the need for further studies to unearth the causes behind the raised incidence of eating disorders, and ways to reduce the chances of adolescent girls developing these disorders.

University of Haifa: Facebook users more prone to eating disorders
ScienceDaily: Facebook users more prone to eating disorders, study finds
JP: Link found between Facebook use and eating disorders