Social Media and Body Image

The influence of social media on body image perception is undeniable.

A 2023 study reports that social media makes people conscious of their physical appearance, making them obsessed with checking how they look and finding their flaws.

The study also notes how social media can drive people to undergo cosmetic and plastic surgery to achieve the ideal body, whether to lose weight or to correct perceived imperfections.

The constant exposure to curated content has created a culture of comparison, encouraging users to constantly measure themselves against others and strive for unattainable beauty and body standards.

For example, the notorious “belly button” challenge, a trend that originated in China in 2015, became popular again recently on Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms.

The challenge involved users attempting to touch their belly button by reaching around their backs, supposedly a test of thinness.

Social media trends like the belly button challenge glorify unhealthy eating habits and further perpetuate the obsession with a thin body shape, contributing to body image concerns among users.

This trend is just one example of the damaging effects of social media on body image and mental health.

The Role of Influencers, Celebrities, and Unrealistic Beauty Standards in Shaping Perceptions

Social media gave rise to a new breed of celebrities — influencers.

These individuals have amassed millions of followers, who look up to them for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle inspiration.

The global pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have only amplified their influence, with more people turning to social media for connection and entertainment.

Influencers often present an idealized version of themselves, often with the help of photo editing programs.

Videos are often heavily filtered, using lighting and specific angles to curate a certain type of appearance.

This curated content creates a false sense of reality, promoting an unattainable ideal of beauty and success that regular users feel pressured to live up to.

The pressure to emulate these unrealistic standards has a significant impact on mental health and self-image, causing people to have body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.

The Impact of Social Media on Young Users

At some point, all young social media users have felt the pressure to present an idealized version of themselves and fit in with the curated content.

Young people are particularly vulnerable to these pressures, as they are still developing their sense of self and often lack the maturity to evaluate what they see on social media critically.

As they form their identities and experience changes in their physical appearance during adolescence, young users can easily fall prey to the idealized standards promoted on social media.

The constant comparison and pressure to conform, particularly in young girls, can lead to body image issues and push them towards unhealthy behaviors that may manifest as eating disorders.

Bulimia and Other Eating Disorders Triggered by Social Media

Eating disorders are severe psychiatric disorders characterized by abnormal eating behaviors and distorted body image.

Several risk factors contribute to the development of eating disorders, including:

• Biological Factors: Genetic predispositions, hormonal imbalances, age, and gender
• Social Factors: Culture, peer pressure, media influence, and socioeconomic status
• Psychological Factors: Low self-esteem, perfectionism, and negative body image
• Behavioral Factors: Extreme dieting, excessive exercise, restrictive eating, social isolation, and constant body checking

Social media has had a major impact on the development of certain eating disorders in young users.

A 2023 review reported that social media usage is a risk factor for disordered eating and eating disorders, specifically in young people aged 10 to 24.

The review notes that high social media literacy and body positivity can protect against these risks.

The constant exposure to appearance-focused platforms, social media trends, pro-eating disorder content, and unrealistic beauty standards can lead people into a “self-perpetuating cycle of risk.”

While this risk cycle can affect anyone, young girls with high BMI and pre-existing body image concerns are particularly vulnerable.

The promotion of positive body image content, openness regarding the impacts of social media on eating disorders, and other advocacy can help turn the tide against harmful content.

Bulimia Nervosa

A 2023 study observed that higher levels of problematic social media use lead to more depression and anxiety symptoms, which in turn predicted a higher risk for more bulimic behavior.

The study also noted how problematic social media use was directly and significantly related to more bulimia nervosa symptoms.

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder involving a cycle of binge eating or consuming large amounts of food, followed by self-induced regurgitation, laxative use, excessive exercise, or other compensatory behaviors.

This disorder is often associated with negative body image and low self-esteem.

Some symptoms of bulimia nervosa include:

• Acid reflux disorder
• Electrolyte imbalances
• Dehydration
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Dental issues from frequent vomiting

The constant comparison to unrealistic beauty standards on social media can exacerbate these feelings, leading individuals to engage in binge-purge behaviors as a coping mechanism.

Anorexia Nervosa

A 2016 study found a solid and consistent association between eating disorders and social media, whether in frequency or volume.

The study also noted how maladaptive use of Facebook and pro-anorexia content on YouTube can exacerbate body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.

Anorexia nervosa is a severe eating disorder where individuals have a distorted body image, anxiety around weight gain, and an obsessive desire to lose weight.

This disorder leads to extreme calorie restriction and excessive exercise, often resulting in rapid weight loss and malnutrition.

Some symptoms of anorexia nervosa include:

• Severely low body weight
• Sleep disturbances
• Social withdrawal
• Amenorrhea (absence of menstrual periods)
• Obsessive-compulsive behaviors related to food
• Extreme restrictive eating and fear of gaining weight

The constant exposure to “thinspiration” (posts promoting thinness as the ultimate goal) and “bonespiration” (posts promoting an extremely thin body with prominent bones) content on social media can trigger individuals with body image concerns to develop anorexia nervosa.

Binge-Eating Disorder

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States, affecting all age groups, genders, and racial and ethnic groups.

A 2022 study found that prolonged and more frequent social media use leads to an increased appetite and intention to eat, which results in binge eating episodes.

BED is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating without compensatory behaviors such as purging or excessive exercise.

Those with this disorder, who are mostly overweight or obese, may also experience feelings of shame, guilt, and distress after binge eating episodes.

Some symptoms of binge eating disorder include:

• Eating large amounts of food in a short period
• Eating when not physically hungry
• Feeling out of control during binge-eating episodes
• Eating until uncomfortably full

Individuals with BED may use food to cope with emotional distress, making it challenging to break the cycle.

Seeking professional help can aid in developing healthier coping mechanisms and establishing a healthy relationship with food.

Other Social Media Eating Disorders

Bulimia, anorexia, and BED are the most well-known eating disorders, but other types can develop from social media use:

• Orthorexia Nervosa: This eating disorder involves an obsessive focus on clean and healthy eating to the point of restricting food groups and causing malnutrition.
  • A 2017 study reports that Instagram is the primary social media platform where this condition is prevalent.
• Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): This disorder involves avoiding certain foods due to sensory issues, aversions, or previous negative experiences.
• Night Eating Disorder: This disorder involves recurrent episodes of excessive food consumption after dinner, during the night, or when waking up from sleep.
• Diabulimia: This disorder affects individuals with type 1 diabetes who restrict insulin to lose weight.

These eating disorders may not be as well-known or researched, but their prevalence may be increasing due to the constant exposure and influence of social media.

Because of the negative impact of social media on eating disorders, many victims have started taking legal action against social media platforms for promoting and allowing harmful content related to disordered eating.

Social Media Lawsuits: An Overview

Countless individuals have filed lawsuits against major social media companies and platforms, claiming that the platforms have played a significant role in fostering mental health disorders and addiction, leading to unhealthy body images and eating habits.

Social Media Lawsuits argue that social media platforms have allowed harmful content to circulate and have not done enough to prevent it.

The lawsuits allege that the design and algorithms of social media platforms contribute to the development of eating disorders, including bulimia.

The constant comparison to others, pressure to conform to societal standards, and the fear of missing out can all contribute to low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction.

Continuous exposure to unrealistic and unattainable body standards on these platforms can lead to the development of negative body image and disordered eating behaviors.

Unmitigated access to dangerous content on social media can further exacerbate these negative feelings, leading to the development of eating disorders like bulimia nervosa.

Social media platforms prioritized profits and engagement, disregarding the potential harm to their users.

Social media companies must take responsibility for their role in promoting harmful content and work toward creating a safer environment for their users.

With countless lawsuits filed against these social media companies, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) decided to centralize these cases into multidistrict litigation (MDL).

The Social Media Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) consolidates numerous lawsuits against major social media companies like Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat, which are accused of contributing to mental health disorders among users through their platforms.

The purpose of this litigation is to streamline pretrial proceedings by grouping cases with common factual questions, which in this case would be young users suffering from a variety of mental health issues.

The MDL was created to handle the complexity and volume of litigation that alleges social media platforms designed addictive features contributing to mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphic disorder.

Unlike class actions, which handle plaintiffs as a group with similar claims, the MDL allows individual cases to maintain their separate identities, accommodating the personal injury nature of many claims that require individual assessment.

This centralized approach ensures cohesive rulings on pretrial motions and discovery, while still allowing cases to return to their original courts for trial, catering specifically to the varied and personal nature of the injuries alleged.

What is the Social Media Addiction MDL?

The Social Media Addiction MDL represents a crucial legal effort to address and mitigate the adverse effects that social media platforms can have on individuals, particularly young users.

The MDL aims to challenge the way these companies design their platforms, which critics argue are engineered to be addictive and may prioritize engagement over user well-being.

The MDL seeks not only to secure compensation for those who have suffered but also to push for changes in how social media operates.

The consolidation of these cases under one judge facilitates a more streamlined process for handling the complex and potentially precedent-setting legal questions about the responsibility of social media companies in safeguarding their users’ mental health.

Lawyers are currently accepting new cases from individuals to seek compensation for the negative impact social media has had on their mental health.

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has consolidated lawsuits against major social media companies in the Northern District of California.

This decision is a significant step toward holding social media companies accountable for their role in the proliferation of harmful content related to eating disorders.

Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) No. 3047, presided by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, has consolidated lawsuits against the following defendants:

• Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook and Instagram)
• ByteDance Ltd. (TikTok)
• Snap Inc. (Snapchat)
• Alphabet Inc. (Google and YouTube)

TorHoerman Law: Your Social Media Lawyers

The negative impact of social media puts many individuals, particularly young people, at risk of developing eating disorders.

It is time for social media companies to take responsibility for promoting and allowing harmful content that damages the mental health of their users.

If you or someone you love is struggling with bulimia or other eating disorders because of the influence of social media, you may be eligible to take action.

Contact us for a free consultation.

You can also use the chatbot on this page to find out if you qualify for the Social Media Lawsuit instantly.