Experts have raised concerns about the impact of social media on young people’s mental and physical health, warning that platforms like TikTok and Instagram can encourage the development of eating disorders by glorifying extreme thinness and spreading dangerous misinformation about nutrition.
Young women and girls remain the most affected by conditions such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, though these illnesses are increasingly being diagnosed in young men. Global figures show a worrying rise: the proportion of people who have experienced an eating disorder more than doubled from 3.5% in 2000 to 7.8% in 2018—a period that coincides with the growth of social media.
Healthcare professionals working with teenagers say online platforms are a major obstacle to recovery, often acting as triggers for those already vulnerable. French dietitian Carole Copti told AFP that treating an eating disorder now invariably involves tackling the influence of social media, which she described as both an accelerator of symptoms and a barrier to healing.
Psychiatrist Nathalie Godart added that while social media isn’t the root cause of such conditions, it can tip susceptible individuals into harmful behaviours. Promoting unattainable beauty standards, rigid dieting, and excessive exercise routines can worsen existing insecurities and pose serious risks to users’ well-being.
One troubling trend is the rise of hashtags like #skinnytok, which flood TikTok with harmful content encouraging dangerously low food intake and punishing attitudes toward eating. French nurse Charlyne Buigues, who specialises in treating eating disorders, noted that such content normalises disordered eating behaviours and even glamorises them. Some users share graphic videos of themselves engaging in purging, with no warning about the severe health risks involved.
Buigues stressed the dangers of presenting laxatives or self-induced vomiting as acceptable weight-loss methods, pointing out their link to heart failure and even death. Eating disorders not only carry one of the highest mortality rates among psychiatric conditions but are also the second leading cause of early death among 15- to 24-year-olds in France.
Copti warned that social media often traps young people in a “vicious cycle.” Those with low self-esteem may receive praise or attention online for appearing extremely thin, reinforcing their condition and making recovery more difficult. In some cases, users even earn money from such content, further deepening their denial and dependency.
One example involved a young woman who regularly livestreamed herself vomiting on TikTok. She reportedly used the income she received from the platform to buy more food, fuelling a dangerous and self-perpetuating pattern.
Experts say recovery is increasingly complicated by the overwhelming presence of unqualified influencers online. Copti described how some of her consultations now feel like courtroom battles, as patients challenge her advice with information they’ve absorbed from social media. She expressed concern over young people being “completely indoctrinated” by content urging them to eat dangerously low-calorie diets or skip meals entirely.
Godart also voiced frustration with self-styled “wellness coaches” promoting misleading, and sometimes illegal, dietary practices. These influencers often hold more sway with teenagers than health institutions or official guidelines, making public health messaging a constant uphill battle.
Despite efforts to report harmful content, Buigues said most of it remains online, rarely removed or penalised by platforms. She has gone so far as to urge some of her patients to delete their social media accounts altogether—particularly TikTok—as a preventative measure. While such advice may seem extreme, she argues it’s necessary until better safeguards and education are in place.
