Influence of Social Media on Eating Disorders in Adolescents—a Narrative Review of the Recent Literature

Background: Thinspiration and fitspiration are two social media trends that can affect adolescents and young adults in unhealthy ways. These movements and the algorithmic enhancement of related content on social media can lead to the internalization of unreal-istic beauty ideals and increase the risk of the development of eating disorders. Methods: For this narrative review, databases of peer-reviewed journals were searched with appropriate search terms, and information from relevant papers was included in this review. Results: Incidence and prevalence of eating disorders among adolescents are on the rise. This is associated with social media use and more strongly with social media use featur-ing algorithmically enhanced display of idealized beauty ideals and unrealistic, edited pictures. Augmented-reality filters enhance these risks as they lead to the internalization of these distorted beauty ideals and self-objectification. Social distancing and lockdowns during the pandemic lead to decreased in-person social contact. This increase in social media use as a coping strategy augmented the above-mentioned risks posed by social me-dia. Movements like #bodypositivity, educational programs, and regulatory measures can effectively counter these risks. Conclusions: An interdisciplinary approach that includes more diversified content through adjusted feed algorithms, educational programs to increase social media compe-tency, and regulatory measures can counter social media-associated health risks such as internalization of unrealistic beauty ideals that increase the risk of eating disorders in ad-olescents. Conclusions: An interdisciplinary approach that includes more diversified content through adjusted feed algorithms, educational programs to increase social media competency, and regulatory measures can counter social media-associated health risks such as internalization of unrealistic beauty ideals that increase the risk of eating disorders in adolescents.