Objectives: This study aimed to assess the relationship between social media (SM) use and eating disorder (ED) risk in young people, identify mediating variables, and explore potential interventions.
Methods: The databases PubMed and PsycINFO were searched using 2 blocks in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The first block represented SM and the second represented ED. Boolean search commands were used to bring the blocks together. The review includes studies published from 2016 until Feb 2023. After duplicates were removed, a total of 389 records were screened, 306 were excluded based on title and abstract, and another 63 were excluded after full-text review.
Results: A total of 20 articles were included in the study. The cross-sectional studies (n = 12) comprised 11,015 participants and the longitudinal (n = 3) studies included 15,264 participants, while the experimental (n = 2) studies had 220 participants. Three interventional studies with 1123 participants, examined interventions to reduce the impact of SM on ED risk. The risk of bias assessments were based on different templates from the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services (SBU) depending on study design; only 2 articles had a high risk of bias. Most articles did not utilize validated questionnaires for their assessments of SM use. ED risk was assessed with questionnaires measuring: 1) disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) defined as problematic eating behaviors such as binge eating, purging behaviors, and dietary restraint, or other inadequate eating methods to control or lose weight; and/or 2) drive for thinness (DFT) defined as an extreme fear of gaining weight that often results in disordered eating patterns, mainly restrictive eating. The cross-sectional and the longitudinal studies found that increased duration of SM use predicted both DEB and DFT. Image-focused SM and following diet influencers were linked to DEB. Viewing celebrities, fashion, or beauty were associated with DFT. The interventional studies showed small to moderate effects sizes postintervention.
Conclusions: Different types of SM use are linked to the risk of developing ED. Possible mediating variables include upward comparison, internalization of the thin ideal, and body surveillance. One potential intervention could be offering SM literacy classes.
Elsevier, 2023. Vol. 62, no 10S, p. S202-S202, article id 2.67
70th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP 2023), New York, USA, October 23-28, 2023