Facebook linked to eating disorders

THE MORE time adolescent girls spend on the social networking website Facebook, the greater their risk of developing a negative body image and eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and exaggerated dieting, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Haifa in Israel.

A group of 248 girls, aged 12 to 19, took part in the study. They were asked to provide information on their internet and television viewing habits, their attitudes towards eating, slimming and bulimia, and their degree of satisfaction with their bodies and sense of personal empowerment.

The results showed that the more time girls spent on Facebook, the more they suffered from bulimia, anorexia, a negative body image and exaggerated dieting.

A correlation was also found between eating disorders and certain television programming. Girls who often watched gossip- and leisure-related programmes such as Gossip Girl were more likely to suffer from anorexia, the study showed.

According to the researchers, parents played a key role in the girls’ susceptibility to eating disorders.

Girls whose parents were aware of their media exposure, who watched or surfed along with them and had critical discussions with them about the content, showed more personal empowerment. This served as a "protective shield" against eating disorders.

Girls whose parents were not aware of the media content they were consuming, and who sought to limit or prohibit exposure instead of becoming familiar with that content, showed a lower sense of self-empowerment, a more negative body image and a greater likelihood of eating disorders. – dpa