Excess social media use may lead to eating disorder: Doctors

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Using social media websites more frequently can lead to different eating disorders, suggests a new study.

People, especially the younger lot is seen spending most of their time on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder and other clinical and mental health issues where people have a distorted body image and disordered eating.

"We've long known that exposure to traditional forms of media, such as fashion magazines and television, is associated with the development of disordered eating and body image concerns, likely due to the positive portrayal of 'thin' models and celebrities," said lead author Jaime Sidani from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the US. 

"Social media combines many of the visual aspects of traditional media with the opportunity for social media users to interact and propagate stereotypes that can lead to eating and body image concerns," Sidani noted.

(With Agency inputs)