Young women and girls are much more likely to suffer from illnesses such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder, though rates among men have been increasing.
For the professionals trying to help teenagers recover from these disorders, misinformation from influencers on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram is a huge problem.
“It has become a trigger, definitely an accelerator and an obstacle to recovery,“ she added.
Social media “is not the cause but the straw that may break the camel’s back,“ said Nathalie Godart, a psychiatrist for children and adolescents at the Student Health Foundation of France.
- ‘Vicious cycle’ -
For Charlyne Buigues, a French nurse specialising in eating disorders, social media serves as a gateway to these problems, which are “normalised” online.
“Taking laxatives or vomiting are presented as a perfectly legitimate way to lose weight, when actually they increase the risk of cardiac arrest,“ Buigues said.
Anorexia has the highest rate of death of any psychiatric disease, research has found. Eating disorders are also the second leading cause of premature death among 15- to 24-year-olds in France, according to the country’s health insurance agency.
“People suffering from eating disorders often have low self-esteem. But by exposing their thinness from having anorexia on social media, they gain followers, views, likes... and this will perpetuate their problems and prolong their denial,“ she added.
Buigues spoke of a young woman who regularly records herself throwing up live on TikTok and who had “explained that she was paid by the platform and uses that money to buy groceries”.
Social media also makes recovering from eating disorders “more difficult, more complicated and take longer”, Copti said.
Copti said consultations with her patients can feel like she is facing a trial.
“The patients are completely indoctrinated -- and my 45-minute weekly consultation is no match for spending hours every day on TikTok,“ she added.
“These influencers carry far more weight than institutions. We’re constantly struggling to get simple messages across about nutrition,“ she said, pointing out that there are lifelines available for those in need.
“The content remains online and the accounts are rarely suspended -- it’s very tiring,“ she said.
“It may seem radical but until young people are better informed, the app is too dangerous,“ she said.
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