A scoping literature review of the associations between highly visual social media use and eating disorders and disordered eating: a changing landscape

Journal of Eating Disorders

Review

Ashley Sharma¹  Carol Vidal² 

[1] Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA;Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 733 N Broadway, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA;

关键词: Eating disorders;    Disordered eating;    Body image;    Highly visual social media;    Gender;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40337-023-00898-6

 received in 2023-03-30, accepted in 2023-09-21,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAlthough the etiology of eating disorders (ED) and disorder eating (DE) is multifactorial, exposure to highly visual social media (HVSM) may be an important contributor to the onset or worsening of DE and ED symptoms. We aim to understand HVSM use, ED, and DE with a particular focus on gender differences, as well as details of engagement on “selfies” in adolescents and young adults (AYA) through a scoping review of the literature.MethodsWe conducted a literature search in Psycho ED, PubMed, MEDLINE of articles, including participants with DE/ED and users of HVSM, focused on AYA. Studies in which the study population did not include AYA, the SM platforms used did not include HVSM platforms, and the methodology to assess ED/HVSM use was not robust were excluded.ResultsWe found a strong relationship between HVSM and ED and DE with existing gender differences related to the nature of engagement and preference of content. The literature also shows effects of the specific mechanisms of use of these platforms involving “selfie” preparation and posting. Existing research is limited and consists of mostly cross-sectional studies with no uniform methodology and with participant populations that are not well-defined.ConclusionsThe use of unregulated and profit-driven SM platforms can increase risk for ED. To use these HVSM platforms for positive influence, there is a need to have more transparency, and involvement of clinicians, researchers, and educators.Public significanceDue to HVSM’s popularity among the AYA population, it is important to identify its effects on the development of DE and ED, as well as recognize any gender differences. Clinicians, parents, and other adults working with youth should be aware of HVSM’s impact on DE/ED, as described in this review.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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