![]() ![]() When users look up related terms, they are instead directed to a “need help” page, with resources such as the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) volunteer hotline. Across most platforms, search terms and hashtags such as “anorexia”, “bulimia”, and “thinspiration” have been rendered unsearchable. Ad policies on Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and other online platforms have either banned or imposed restrictions on weight loss ads. Communities of eating disorder enthusiasts have been found on Twitter, Discord, Snapchat and more.Īll major social media networks explicitly state in their terms and conditions that users should not promote behaviors of self-harm, including the glorification of eating disorders. Over the last few years, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and more faced criticism for failing to address pro-eating disorder content and search terms on their platforms. And decades after the problem first surfaced, social media continues to struggle with the same problem. After a Huffington Post exposé on “thinspiration” blogs on Tumblr, the platform took action against a cluster of pro-eating disorder blogs. As early as 2001, Yahoo removed 113 pro-anorexia websites from its servers. Pro-eating disorder communities have had a long history on the internet. Pro-eating disorder communities aren’t new As lawmakers work to hold tech companies to a higher standard in protecting users, this is an important aspect of user safety that cannot be overlooked. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) had his office create a fake Instagram account to understand the prevalence of pro-eating disorder content on the platform. Lawmakers have become increasingly aware of these dangers. Taken to the extreme, many social media users have also been guided to dangerous pro-eating disorder communities, corners of the internet where users actively encourage and shame each other into unhealthy or even life-threatening weight loss. That, coupled with a plethora of online content on dieting and what it means to have the perfect body, have further exacerbated users’ insecurities and misled them down dangerous paths. As internal research leaked by Meta whistleblower Francis Haugen claims, “the tendency to share only the best moments a pressure to look perfect” could leave many with a desire to look or act different. In the last two years, the number of adolescents admitted into hospitals for eating disorders has skyrocketed, with medical experts citing increased time on social media as a contributing factor. Eating disorders have been on the rise over the course of the pandemic. ![]()
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